Lake and reservoir management challenges in Mexico and Latin America are receiving increasing attention due to population growth, water scarcity, eutrophication, harmful algal blooms, and climate change. Despite the importance of these systems for drinking water supply, recreation, fisheries, and ecosystem services, opportunities for knowledge exchange between lake managers and researchers in North America and Latin America remain limited.
This half-day workshop will provide a forum for scientists, engineers, managers, and students to discuss current challenges and solutions for lake and reservoir management in Mexico and Latin America. The workshop will include case studies from Mexico, Guatemala and Argentina. Discussion topics will include harmful algal bloom management, reservoir water quality assessment, watershed governance, water reuse, flood-managed aquifer recharge, and management of wetlands and lagoons. Case studies will include Lake Chapala, Valle de Bravo Reservoir, the Lake Cuitzeo Basin, the Chaschoc-Sejá lagoon system, water reuse projects in Baja California, Lake Atitlán, and wetland-lagoon systems in Argentina. Participants will explore both scientific and management perspectives, with emphasis on transferable lessons and opportunities for collaboration.
Workshop contributors will include researchers and practitioners from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, the Mexican Institute of Water Technology, the Autonomous University of Baja California, the University of the Valley of Guatemala, and the National University of La Plata. The workshop will be hosted by scholars from the University of California and supported through funding from NALMS and Alianza MX, a University of California program to enhance collaboration between California and the US.
Presenters
Dr. Marc Beutel is a Professor of Environmental Engineering at the University of California, Merced. His research focuses on lake and reservoir management, mercury cycling, water quality, and ecological engineering. He has led numerous field and laboratory studies evaluating hypolimnetic oxygenation, internal nutrient loading, and mercury mitigation in reservoirs throughout California and Mexico.
Dr. Stephen McCord is a Program Coordinator at the University of California, Davis and President of McCord Environmental, Inc. He has more than 25 years of experience in research, teaching, and consulting focused on water quality, watershed management, and lake and reservoir restoration. His work spans California and international projects addressing eutrophication, mercury management, watershed planning, and aquatic ecosystem restoration.
Dr. Anne M. Hansen is a researcher at the Mexican Institute of Water Technology (IMTA) whose work focuses on reservoir water quality, eutrophication control, sediment-water interactions, and aquatic ecosystem rehabilitation. She has led studies of several important Mexican reservoirs, including Valle de Bravo and Presa Endhó, evaluating nutrient management, oxygen dynamics, and restoration strategies for highly impaired water bodies.
Dr. Leopoldo G. Mendoza-Espinosa is a professor at the Autonomous University of Baja California whose work focuses on wastewater treatment, water reuse, and integrated water resources management. Trained as an oceanographer, he has been a leading advocate for reclaimed water use in Baja California and has helped advance water reuse projects supporting agriculture and groundwater sustainability in the Ensenada and Valle de Guadalupe regions.
Dr. Graciela Herrera Zamarrón is a senior researcher at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. Her work focuses on hydrologic modeling, water resources, and environmental systems. She leads interdisciplinary research on the Chaschoc-Sejá lagoon system in Tabasco, integrating hydrology, climate science, remote sensing, water quality, and socio-environmental processes to support ecosystem conservation and restoration.
Alejandro Juárez Aguilar is a water resources practitioner with Instituto Corazón de la Tierra and the International Lake Environment Committee. His work focuses on lake basin governance, watershed restoration, stakeholder engagement, and sustainable water management in the Lerma-Chapala Basin. He has played an active role in initiatives to improve the long-term ecological health and resilience of Lake Chapala.