Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Albuquerque Groundwater Rebounds

Re-engineering the sources of Albuquerque drinking water over the last 20 years, in order to recycle more and rely more heavily on river water, appears to be a success. The aquifer is rising. (And, who knows, maybe there are health benefits too, since ABQ groundwater is rich in natural arsenic.):













You can still see the impact of pumping in the graph’s squiggles, as the aquifer drops in summer and rises in winter. We’re not off of groundwater completely, and never will be. But the overall trend is headed in the right direction. It’s driven in part by the fact that, unlike a lot of western states, New Mexico recognizes the connection between groundwater and surface water in our water rights administration. Yay us!

No comments:

Post a Comment