The Palomas, Mesilla, and Conejos-Médanos Basins in New Mexico, Texas, and northern Mexico compose a geologically and hydrologically complex region. The conjunctive use of surface water and groundwater takes place under a myriad of legal and operational constraints, including the Rio Grande Compact, an international treaty, and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s Rio Grande Project. New demands are being placed on the interconnected water system, even as the region is experiencing an extended drought.
Objective:
Develop the Rio Grande Transboundary Integrated Hydrologic Model (RGTIHM) in order to better understand the complex hydrogeologic flow system and support ongoing resource-management decisions.
Approach:
RGTIHM uses the USGS MODFLOW One-Water Hydrologic Flow Model (MF-OWHM) to build on previous hydrologic modeling efforts by:
- Expanding the model to more fully incorporate the Conejos-Médanos Basin
- Refining the model grid and stress periods
- Incorporating new work on the hydrogeologic framework
- Refining the water-use framework
- Improving the dynamic simulation of water-management alternatives.
- Overview
The Palomas, Mesilla, and Conejos-Médanos Basins in New Mexico, Texas, and northern Mexico compose a geologically and hydrologically complex region. The conjunctive use of surface water and groundwater takes place under a myriad of legal and operational constraints, including the Rio Grande Compact, an international treaty, and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s Rio Grande Project. New demands are being placed on the interconnected water system, even as the region is experiencing an extended drought.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Boundary of Model Grid, NM Water Science Center(Public domain.) Objective:
Develop the Rio Grande Transboundary Integrated Hydrologic Model (RGTIHM) in order to better understand the complex hydrogeologic flow system and support ongoing resource-management decisions.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Santa Fe Group Boundary Model, NM Water Science Center(Public domain.) Approach:
RGTIHM uses the USGS MODFLOW One-Water Hydrologic Flow Model (MF-OWHM) to build on previous hydrologic modeling efforts by:
- Expanding the model to more fully incorporate the Conejos-Médanos Basin
- Refining the model grid and stress periods
- Incorporating new work on the hydrogeologic framework
- Refining the water-use framework
- Improving the dynamic simulation of water-management alternatives.