Caribbean Water Science Plan Science Plan 1999

Additional Program Opportunities

The Caribbean District will continue to promote the development of cooperative programs with other Federal and local agencies, municipal governments, universities, and research centers.  The District will also promote and develop cooperative programs with the Geologic Division, Biological Resources Division, and National Mapping Division to further the objectives and goals of the U.S. Geological Survey as a whole.

International Programs

The Caribbean District has contributed its expertise in short term assignments to the Lesser Antilles (Dominica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent), the Greater Antilles (Haiti and the Dominican Republic), and Central America (Costa Rica and most recently, Honduras).   Currently, the Caribbean District is collaborating in an interdivisional, multidisciplinary effort to help the Central American nations that were devastated by Hurricane Mitch.

Because of the location of the Caribbean District and because of our large number of Spanish-speaking employees, we are especially suited for such international opportunities.  Caribbean District employees have installed three gaging stations with satellite near real time transmissions by telemetry in Honduras.   About 15 additional stations will be installed in Honduras, and a yet undetermined number in Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala. Caribbean District employees are playing a major role in the training and capacity building of Honduran technicians and professionals.

Watershed and Ecosystems in the Tropics (WET)

The Caribbean District is already involved in watersheds studies in unique tropical settings, such as the rainforest in Luquillo. Because of our expertise in this area, the Caribbean District should be involved in a new interdivisional multidisciplinary process-oriented study named Watersheds and Ecosystems in the Tropics (WET).  This program combines the expertise in the Biological Resources Division, Geological Division, and Water Resources Division to provide fundamental information to resource managers on tropical islands.

The rationale behind the WET study is that the rainforests and reefs are biologically unique and economically important, but are threatened by many environmental pressures.   There is a need for both intensive multidisciplinary watershed-scale studies and long-term monitoring to assess the stability of these resources and their outlook for the future.

Ground-Water Research in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Since 1985 the Caribbean District has not evaluated the state of the groundwater resources in the U.S. Virgin Islands.  There are opportunities for collaboration in determining the water quality of the Tutu embayment aquifer and Kingshill limestone aquifer.  Also this will present opportunities for studying bioremediation in fractured-rock aquifers under tropical conditions.  Also the District can contribute training in Total Maximum Daily Loads sampling and developing GIS.

Water-Resources Studies for Municipalities

The Caribbean District will continue to develop the program with the municipalities of Puerto Rico.  The objective of this program is to help the municipalities have more active participation in the development of their water resources by integrating surface-water, ground-water, and water quality issues within their political boundaries.   This work fits very well with the overall Puerto Rico Water Plan.

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