Breakout Session 4: Water Management

Leaders

Sergio Revah, Bernie Engel

Participants

Ron Turco, Enrico Martinez

Discussion

The group discussed a number of potential water related topics that might serve as opportunities for collaborative projects between US and Mexican colleagues.  This is a discipline in which Purdue has many strengths that can be paired with a couple of relevant Mexican Institutions, such as the “Mexican Institute of Water Technology” (Instituto Mexicano de Tecnologia del Agua), and the ‘Institute of Engineering” at UNAM.

The group identified two areas of initial focus:

• Sustainable watershed management: This could include a range of potential research topics including modeling; management practices for use in urban, rural and agricultural areas; and pollution abatement approaches.
• Wastewater reuse/water reuse: Work in the wastewater reuse/water reuse area could also include a range of topics ranging from filtering, treatment, pollutant degradation to pollution remediation. Also mentioned as relevant were “Border Issues Involving Water and “Aquifer Management”, for which Purdue is considered to be short of resources that could be complemented by Mexican Institutions.

Funding for research in these areas may come from a variety of sources including US and Mexico federal government agencies, the US State Department, other government agencies (states and cities) and foundations. A relevant possible source of funding is the “Comision Nacional del Agua” (Mexico’s Water Commission), the current Managing Director can be reached through Abraham Klip.

Also, two possible collaboration partners were identified by the group: Dr. Oscar Monroy from UAM-Iztapalpa who is leading a project involving urban water management in Mexico City and Dr. Indrajit Chaubey from ABE.