Space shuttle photograph of the Baja California Peninsula looking South. Source: NASA

Current Baja CALVIN coverage includes agricultural, urban, and environmental uses in the following locations: Agricultural uses Valle de Guadalupe (Ensenada) Valle de Maneadero (Ensenada) Valle de Mexicali Urban uses Ensenada Mexicali Tijuana-Rosarito San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora Environmental flows in the Colorado River Delta Water demand projections in the model were based on population projection estimates for the region. Levels of development consi- dered in the model are currently 2025 and 2080.

Current infrastructure in the model includes: Aqueduct Rio Colorado-Tijuana and its pumping stations Major potable water and waste water treatment facilities Major  storage reservoirs such as the Abelardo Rodriguez and El Carrizo and Zamora Aquifers of Esenada, La Mision, Guadalupe, Maneadero, Tijuana-Alamar, Playas de Tijuana, and the Mexicali aquifer and the Mesa Arenosa bank. Simplified and full schematic versions of the Baja CALVIN project are offered below.

BAJA-CALVIN Schematics

Full schematic in MS-Excel Format (updated 2008, Open as Read-Only)

Below, Baja CALVIN simplified schematic, click on it to obtain the detailed schematic.

Research Report

The Baja CALVIN report.
Medellin-Azuara, Josue, Mendoza-Espinosa, L.G., Lund, J.R., Waller, C. Howitt, R.E. (2009). Project Report, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California Davis, Draft January, 2009.

Appendix A. Urban demand analysis in four border cities in the northern Baja California region.

Appendix B. Calibrated Agricultural demand model for three regions in the northern Baja California region.

Publications and other literature

Waller-Barrera, C., Mendoza-Espinosa, L.G., Medellin-Azuara, J. and Lund, J.R. Optimización económico-ingenieril del suministro agrícola y urbano: una aplicación de reuso del agua en Ensenada, Baja California. Forthcomming in Revista Ingenieria Hidraulica en Mexico.

Medellin-Azuara, J.,  Howitt, R.E., Waller, C. Mendoza-Espinosa, L.G., Lund, J.R., and Taylor, J.E. "A calibrated agricultural demand model for three regions in northern Baja California", Forthcomming in Agrociencia.

Medellín-Azuara, J., J.R. Lund, and R.E. Howitt, (2007) “Water Supply Analysis for Restoring the Colorado River Delta, Mexico,” Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, ASCE, Vol. 133, No. 5, pp. 462-471, September/October 2007.

Medellín-Azuara J., Mendoza-Espinosa L. G., Lund, J. R. and Ramírez-Acosta R. J.(2007) “The application of economic-engineering optimization for water management in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico,” Water Science & Technology, Vol. 55, No. 1-2, pp. 339-347, 2007.

Medellin-Azuara, J. (2006). "Economic-Engineering Analysis of Water Management for Restoring the Colorado River Delta," Dissertation, University of California, Davis, Davis, California.

Medellín-Azuara, J. and J.R. Lund, “Applying Economic-Engineering Systems Analysis to the Colorado River Delta,” Pacific-McGeorge Global Business & Development Law Journal, Vol. 19, No. 1, pp. 99 – 114, Fall 2006.

Ramírez-Acosta, R.J., Mendoza-Espinosa, L.G., Medellín-Azuara, J. y Lund, J.R. (2006). Economía, población y eficiencia para el abastecimiento futuro de agua potable en Baja California, en Mungaray-Lagarda, A. y Ocegueda-Hernández, J.M. (Ed.), Estudios Económicos sobre Baja California. (p. 199), México, D.F.: Miguel Angel Porrúa.

Project Funding and Acknowledgments

We thank funding from a Collaborative Research Grant from the University of California Institute for Mexico and the United States (UCMEXUS), and from the Border Affairs Division of the California Environmental Proteccion Agency (CALEPA). We are indebted with the regional offices of CNA and SAGARPA, and the water utilities of Baja California and Sonora, CEA, CESPE, CESPM, CESPTE, CESPT, and OOMAPAS, for kindly providing details and data for the development of this project.

About the Modelers

Josue Medellin-Azuara is a Research Fellow in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE). He completed his Ph.D. in Ecology at UC Davis in 2006 with his dissertation: Economic-Engineering Analysis of Water Management for Restoring the Colorado River Delta. Josue co-developed Baja-CALVIN with professors Lund and Mendoza-Espinosa, and has been involved in other CALVIN and SWAP studies with professors Jay R. Lund and Richard E. Howitt respectively.

Leopoldo G. Mendoza-Espinosa is a Researcher and Professor at the Instituto de Investigaciones Oceanologicas (IIO) of the Universidad Autonoma de Baja California, Ensenada (UABC-Ensenada). Professor Mendoza-Espinosa has devoted part of his research to biological aerated filters and water management. Professor Mendoza has been involved in the operation and water quality monitoring of municipal water treatment plants overseen by the local water utility (CESPE), in ongoing collaborative projects since 2000. He has lectured courses on Wastewater Treatment, Wastewater Reuse and Water Analysis for Civil Engineers, has directed 5 theses and has 15 publications in refereed journals and book chapters. Professor Mendoza spent a sabbatical year as Visiting Assistant Professor at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) of UC Davis.

Jay R. Lund  is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) of the University of California, Davis (UC Davis)  His research group on water management and systems analysis developed the California Value Integrated Network model (CALVIN) for US California, in collaboration with Professor Richard Howitt (Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics), Dr. Marion Jenkins (Civil and Environmental Engineering), and many students.  Professor Lund has participated in many projects at regional, state and federal levels involving water resources management. He was on the advisory committees for the 1998 and 2005 California water Plan Updates.  He has been member of the editorial board of several water journals and has more than 70 publications in refereed journals. As a Professor at  UC Davis he has taught courses on water management, hydrology, hydraulics, stochastic optimization, flood control, and operations research; and has supervised more than 60 graduate students.

 From left to right, Leopoldo Mendoza (UABC), Richard Mills from SWRCB (the one responsible for introducing us all), Josue Medellin and Jay Lund.


It all started with a CALVIN shortcourse in Ensenada back in January 2005. Left to right, Lund, Medellin and  Mendoza.