blue wave of water

Mitigating the Effects of Water Scarcity

Water scarcity and quality problems occur in many regions of the world, particularly in areas with semi-arid to arid climates.  Combined pressures of population growth, economic development, and climate variability expose such regions to water scarcity and are inspiring exploration of alternative sources and conservation strategies.

Blue Gold refers to the availability of fresh water and the health of watersheds that are inextricably linked and increasingly tied to issues of energy and technology as human population, societal demand, and climate change intensify.

The San Diego and US-Mexico Border region provides a natural laboratory for studying water resources in the context of scarcity and change.  This area is prone to challenges such urban water supply, agricultural water management, and international water conflict and cooperation that are mirrored in many other regions.  Research questions, methods, and findings generated in our region are likely to have global implications. 

Blue Gold is one of three SDSU Areas of Excellence Initiatives that was approved in 2015. The initiative supports new tenure-track faculty positions that are allocated to advance existing and future areas of scholarly excellence, and to foster interdisciplinary collaborations in research and creative endeavors.

News and Events

How is Cross-Border Water Contamination Impacting San Diego County Long Term?

NBC 7’s Kelvin Henry spoke to a SDSU professor, Hassan Davani, who explains how sewage leaks contaminating water in southern San Diego County can impact the region in the long term.

Read/Watch the full story on NBC 7 San Diego.

Wintry weather could worsen California’s sewage influx from Tijuana

Hassan Davani, an assistant professor of water resources engineering at San Diego State University, was interviewed about how the recent heavy rains and the ongoing sewage leak across the border in Tijuana affect San Diego.

Read the full story on The Hill.

SDSU Professor's Research on Micro Plastics and Human Health

Dr. Eunha Hoh's Laboratory is part of SDSU's School of Public Health. Our group addresses public health research questions through molecular-level analyses of chemical contaminants and biomarkers.

Read the story on SDSU NewsCenter.

Fighting Flooding along the West Coast

San Diego State University water resources engineer Dr. Hassan Davani is the latest to earn a National Science Foundation CAREER Award for his work on just that: stormwater flooding and stormwater pollution. 

Read the story on SDSU NewsCenter.