1 (505) Bob Wessely April 5, 2008 Water in the Middle Rio Grande Context Presentation for Placitas Issues Session Water in the Middle Rio Grande Context Presentation for Placitas Issues Session

2 Why Are We Here? Only to Provide a Regional Perspective for the Placitas Water Situation

3 Summary Diverse Region; Over-Spending Its Water Placitas Overview: Extensive 2002 Peggy Johnson Hydrogeology Report New Mexico Tech Report OF-469 – Available in Placitas Library Characteristics Vary Greatly from Place to Place Laced with Geological Faults - “Shoebox Aquifers” Some Sources Disconnected, Others Cover Wide Areas Some Water in Rock Cracks, Some in Sandy Soils Residence Time of Groundwater Some Ancient / Mined; Some Renewed by Recent Precipitation Age in Ground Ranges from 6 Months to 35,000 Years Slow Underground Flows - Generally toward Rio Grande

4 The Regional Water Plan Seven Years in the Making;Seven Years in the Making; Accepted in 2004 Accepted in 2004 Unusually Active and IntenseUnusually Active and Intense General Public Involvement General Public Involvement Sound Scientific and Technical BasisSound Scientific and Technical Basis Agricultural, Developmental,Agricultural, Developmental, Governmental, Environmental, Legal, Governmental, Environmental, Legal, and Hydrological Stakeholder Participation A Basis for Moving Forward

5 The Regional Water Budget – Open Water Evaporation 52,000 af/yr 16% Irrigated Agriculture and Valley Floor Turf 105,000 af/yr 33% Riparian Evapo-transpiration 69,000 af/yr 22% Consumptions: Residential, Industrial, Municipal 90,000 af/yr 29% Four Similar Sized Sectors in the Region

6 55,000 Acre Feet is 18 Billion Gallons Enough to Fill a Football Field 7½ Miles Deep, Every Year ! The Regional Water Budget Bottom Line Inflows 261,000 af/yr Consumption 316,000 af/yr Deficit 55,000 af/yr Ongoing Deficit Spending of Water – 15-20% Last Quarter of the 20 th Century

7 Wettest Quarter Century in 2000 Years Average rainfall 14.5 inches/year Chaco Canyon abandoned Rainfall Over 2000 Years in New Mexico Mesa Verde abandoned BCAD Tree rings from El Malpais National Monument (Henri Grissino-Mayer) Last Quarter Century We Were Overspending When We Were Flush +20% -20% avg.

8 Aquifers in the Albuquerque Area are Drawn Down 1960 to 2000 Source: U.S. Geological Survey Paseo del Norte Rio Bravo I-25 I-40 I-40 I-25 Montaño Puts a Substantial Drain on River Flows

9 The Population is Growing Three Quarters of New Mexico’s New Residents Move Here

10 … and the World is Warming º F. -3º F. 0º F. 0º F. New Mexico Temperature Change Summer Winter Which Will Have Consequences

11 Temperature IncreasesTemperature Increases Snowpack DecreasesSnowpack Decreases Soil Moisture DecreasesSoil Moisture Decreases Evaporation IncreasesEvaporation Increases Longer / Deeper DroughtsLonger / Deeper Droughts Fewer, More Intense Rain EventsFewer, More Intense Rain Events … With Resulting Implications We Should Expect Less Available Surface Water

12 The Challenge: For Each Person, For Each Entity, For Each Level  Think Cooperatively  Think Broadly  Think Wet Water Beyond Boundaries of Jurisdiction Beyond Boundaries of Jurisdiction Beyond Duration of Term of Office Beyond Duration of Term of Office Beyond One’s Own Special Interests Beyond One’s Own Special Interests Beyond Our Current Generation Beyond Our Current Generation Think Water First ! For Our Grandchildren, and for Their Grandchildren

13 Got Water?