Abstract
The construction of the 42-km long All-American Canal in southern California (USA) near the border with Mexico in the 1940s generated infiltration which raised groundwater levels in the area inducing groundwater to flow into the Mexicali Valley aquifer (Mexico). In the late 2000s, the USA started a controversial lining project to reduce infiltration below the canal, with far-reaching consequences. This investigation implemented a numerical groundwater flow model to determine the hydrodynamic effects of the lining of the All-American Canal on the Mexicali Valley aquifer. For this purpose, plenty of information was acquired with a 32-year span of data and 88 monitoring wells in the area of interest. Field evidences and the model approach suggest that seepage from the All-American Canal resulted in the rise of groundwater levels to 14 m in the northern Mexicali Valley aquifer. However, continuous drawdowns were observed after concluding the lining in 2008, with the result of a drop in the water table to 5.8 m after 4 years of monitoring. A forecast shows that groundwater levels will tend to stabilize to those levels that existed prior to the infiltration produced by the canal. At the existing wetlands in the Mesa de Andrade in Mexico, a 1-m drawdown will be registered due to the lining, which could affect the existing ecosystem. Any additional extraction done on the Mesa de Andrade will likely dry the wetland.
Highlights
Groundwater in Mexico represents 39% (33,819 million m3) of the total allocated water volume (SEMARNAT 2017)
For the year 2017, a drawdown of 10.0 m was observed near these wells, a drawdown of 2.5 m in the area south of the Mesa de Andrade, and a drawdown of 2.0 m on the northeastern portion of the model, but no significant changes in the southern. This investigation presents the case of Mexicali Valley aquifer representing a highly contested transboundary aquifer at US–Mexican border
This investigation attempted to address the hydrodynamic effects of the construction of the AllAmerican Canal in the 1930s and its lining in the 2000s from USA on groundwater resources in Mexicali Valley, Mexico
Summary
Groundwater in Mexico represents 39% (33,819 million m3) of the total allocated water volume (SEMARNAT 2017). The dependency on groundwater is higher in the northern part of the country and along the borderline to United States. In this area, surface water sources are scarce or absent and more than 90% of total allocated water volume comes from groundwater (e.g., Mahlknecht et al 2008; Tamez-Meléndez et al 2016). Surface and groundwater management plans and projects executed on one side of the border in these aquifers may have important implications to the neighboring country
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
