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BEHI Areas

The Border Environmental Health Initiative encompasses the entire U.S.-Mexico border region. The project areas coincide with the U.S.-Mexico Border Field Coordinating Committee (FCC) shared watershed boundaries. In 1994, the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) chartered the FCC for the purpose of promoting and facilitating coordination among the DOI bureaus on environmental issues of Departmental interest along the U.S.-Mexico border. One of the foremost issues identified was that of shared-water resources.

A multi-bureau Shared-Water Resources Issues Team was created to identify, compile, and communicate significant issues related to the shared-water resources of the U.S.-Mexico border area (FCC Fact Sheet: United States-Mexico Border Area, as Delineated by a Shared-Water Resources Perspective). Woodward and Durall (1996), as part of the Issues Team, used surface-water drainage basins as the primary basis for defining and delineating the extent of the border area from a shared- water resources perspective, and divided the border area into 8 subareas (Figure 1).

Click on a below subarea to view a description:

Subarea 1: Pacific Basins-Salton Trough

Subarea 2: The Colorado River-Sea of Cortez

Subarea 3: The Mexican Highlands

Subarea 4: San Basilio-Mimbres

Subarea 5: The Rio Grande: Elephant Butte Reservoir to above Rio Conchos

Subarea 6: The Rio Grande: Rio Conchos to Amistad Reservoir

Subarea 7: The Rio Grande: Below Amistad Reservoir to Falcon Resevoir

Subarea 8: The Lower Rio Grande Valley