1. PRESENTED BY: MARGARET COOK REBECCA MOORE ALISON WOOD STEFAN WRAY Moving Toward Cooperation: The Lower Rio Grande Water Quality Initiative

2. The Lower Rio Grande Initiative: Background The Rio Grande River appears on the “worst US Rivers” list.

3. The Lower Rio Grande Initiative The Policy Research Project (PRP) has focused on the water resource management in the Lower Rio Grande, downstream of Falcon Reservoir Investigation of:  water rights, water allocation, water quality standards, surface water quality  the institutions, organizations involved in the management of water resources management in this portion of the Lower Rio Grande  The opinions and preferences of water users in the region regarding water quality We designed and administered user surveys and interviewed a diverse set of water quality stakeholders

4. Interviews We’ve interviewed stakeholders ranging from Valley area doctors to County Judges to NGO representatives to international water management experts. These interviews hold a wealth of information on various causes of the problem, possible solutions to parts of the problem, and people’s feelings on the problem and on the river itself.

5. The Survey We interviewed 140 people at:  Nuestra Clinic del Valle in Pharr  Proyecto Azeteca (Colonia Self-Help Meeting) in San Juan  Farmers Market in Brownsville  Street and Farmers Market in Harlingen  American Red Cross Month Celebration in Harlingen Mailed 1000 surveys to randomly generated addresses

6. What the problem is The federal Clean Water Act (CWA) requires states to identify a list of impaired water bodies that do not meet their water quality standards, which are put on a list (303(d) list). Texas has identified two segments of the Rio Grande, segments 2301 and 2302, that exceed limits for bacteria loading. Segment 2302 has been on the 303(d) list since 1996. U.S. EPA. (December 3, 2011). “Clean Water Act 303(d) List of Impaired Waters.” (Accessed December 3, 2011). http://yosemite.epa.gov/R10/WATER.NSF/tmdls/cwa+303d+list TCEQ. (February 5, 2010). DRAFT 2010 Texas 303(d) List (Accessed December 3, 2011).http://m.tceq.texas.gov/assets/public/compliance/monops/water/10twqi/2010_303d.pdf