Does Albuquerque Have A Water Shortage in 2024?

Does Albuquerque Have A Water Shortage

Albuquerque may be a dry city, but it is blessed by the presence of an underground aquifer that served the community’s needs for many decades. Albuquerque, New Mexico’s water supplies are on the rise, and aquifer levels are increasing. However, in 2022, the Rio Grande dried up for the first time in 40 years, meaning that Albuquerque will no longer be able to get half of its water from the river.

Where does Albuquerque get its water supply from?

Albuquerque relies on locally pumped groundwater as well as surface water imported from the Colorado River basin via the San Juan-Chama Project. The Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority is one of many agencies tasked with protecting the watersheds in which our local supply originates.

How is the tap water in Albuquerque?

Our water meets all federal and state standards for drinking water quality, and has also been recognized for its good taste. It is important to note that the Water Authority provides water that meets all state and federal legal standards for safe drinking water.

What are the two main sources of water in Albuquerque?

Albuquerque and Bernalillo County rely on groundwater from the Santa Fe Group Aquifer and surface water from the San Juan-Chama Drinking Water Project.

Is the tap water in Albuquerque drinkable?

Albuquerque Water System
Water is treated to be potable and delivered to your home systematically to minimize pollutants in your water.

How deep is the Albuquerque aquifer?

While the depth to the water table (the uppermost level of ground water) in the Albuquerque area varies between 15 and 1000 feet, the city system taps the aquifer with wells as deep as 1,800 feet. All but a few of the wells are driven by electric motors. The rest are driven by engines fueled by diesel or natural gas.

Is Albuquerque water clean?

Does our water meet EPA standards? In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, USEPA prescribes regulations which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. The water supplied to our customers meets or is better than all federal and state drinking water standards.

How much of Albuquerque’s water comes from the Colorado River?

Approximately 70% of the supply comes from the Colorado River Basin via the San Juan Chama Project. The remainder of the supply is collected from about 90 wells across Albuquerque.

What aquifer is under Albuquerque?

Albuquerque relies on the Santa Fe Group aquifer system, a network of interconnected groundwater deposits within the Middle Rio Grande Basin stretching beneath Albuquerque and the surrounding communities. Generally, aquifers are recharged from precipitation that filters down through sediment, Galanter said.

What time can you water in Albuquerque?

No “sprinkler irrigation” is allowed in Bernalillo County between 11:00 am and 7:00 pm. If a homeowner is caught watering during those hours, they will face a fine.

Does Albuquerque have hard or soft water?

According to data from USGS, the water in the Albuquerque metro area is rated as “hard.” Our groundwater sources are rated as “very hard.”

Is Albuquerque water hard or soft?

If you’re reading this, you’re probably already aware that Albuquerque, and New Mexico generally, are in one of the hardest-water areas of the entire United States, with levels of chemicals at or exceeding 10.5 grams per gallon. What this means is that using hard water to wash or clean things can be quite difficult.

Are there any large bodies of water in New Mexico?

Elephant Butte Lake, located in southern New Mexico, is the state’s largest lake and most popular spot for enjoying the water.

Does Albuquerque put fluoride in the water?

Is there fluoride in the water in New Mexico? The answer is yes and no. Last year the Albuquerque Water Utility Authority voted against adding fluoride to the city’s water. But there is still fluoride in our water because it is naturally occurring in our water supply.

How big is the Albuquerque aquifer?

The Albuquerque Basin is one of the largest (8,000 km2, 3,060 mi2) and deepest basins (4,407-6,592 m, 14,500-21,600 ft) of the Rio Grande rift. This basin contains the largest metropolitan area in New Mexico. Until 2008, this region relied entirely on groundwater for its water supply.

Who owns groundwater in New Mexico?

the public
Under New Mexico water law, all ground and surface waters belong to the public and are subject to appropriation under the Doctrine of Prior Appropriation, a constitutional provision that says earlier appropriations have priority over later appropriations.

Can you drink New Mexico water?

Any detection of contaminants is reported to the public and the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED). As noted in the most recent drinking water report, the City’s drinking water meets all state and federal water quality standards.

How much water does Albuquerque use a day?

Conservation efforts have seen per capita water usage drop to 127 gallons per capita per day. Conservation is one way of using water more efficiently and another way is to use water more than once by “polishing” wastewater and industrial effluent by finding non-potable ways to reuse it.