As part of the New Mexico Water Data Initiative, this 3-year project, cooperatively funded with the US Bureau of Reclamation's WaterSMART program, will improve water data accessiblity, efficiency of data collection and sharing, as well as developing tools to help address water management in the Pecos Valley region of southeastern New Mexico.
Three-dimensional, geographic information system (GIS)-based, subsurface geologic models are becoming increasingly common tools for visualizing, evaluating, and managing subsurface resources. The New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources Aquifer Mapping Program is developing 3D hydrogeologic-framework models of groundwater basins in New Mexico, including the Delaware Basin in southeastern NM. These models include a suite of geologic raster surfaces, geologic control points, aquifer boundaries, groundwater-level, water-depth, and water-quality data compiled in a readily available GIS map package. The result is a repository of pertinent shallow subsurface data for a given groundwater basin.
In support of development of a 50-year water plan for New Mexico, the Interstate Stream Commission has tasked the New Mexico Bureau of Geology & Mineral Resources with convening a group of 8 water and climate research experts as an Advisory Panel. Their task is to prepare a consensus study report on the current state of knowledge of how climate conditions and water resources may vary across our state during the next 50 years.
From October 2000 through June 2002, the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources conducted geologic mapping on the Pueblo of Picuris as part of a three phase hydrogeologic project for the Pueblo. This work produced a geologic map of the Picuris reservation, and results were summarized in a Phase 1 Final Technical Report dated June 2002. From June 2003 through December 2004, the Bureau continued work on the hydrologic and water quality aspects of the project, which comprised phases 2 and 3 of the study. These phases of work included a well and spring inventory, water level measurements, assessment of the quality of groundwater and surface water, evaluations of the subsurface hydrogeology of aquifers and the interaction between groundwater, surface water and potential sources of contamination in the vicinity of the confluence of the Rio Pueblo de Picuris, Rio Santa Barbara, Rio Chiquito, and Chamizal Creek. This report summarizes the data collected and findings of these final two phases of the hydrogeologic assessment of groundwater and surface water resources on the Pueblo of Picuris.
The southern Taos Valley, located southwest of the town of Taos, has been experiencing high growth over the last few decades. In order to address growing water needs in this region, Peggy Johnson, Dr. Paul Bauer, and Brigitte Felix, completed a technical report summarizing the local geology and hydrogeology. Data gathered for this study include geologic maps, well records, new groundwater level measurements and water quality samples, which were compiled with historical data and records. This research describes the important hydrostratigraphic units and aquifers in the region along with geologic/structural controls on groundwater flow. Observations of groundwater flow directions, changes in groundwater levels, distinct water quality and groundwater ages reflect the complex network of faults in the study area and its effects on groundwater.
This report describes the geology and hydrogeology of the southwestern Arroyo Seco quadrangle in Taos County, New Mexico. This area is approximately eight miles north of the Town of Taos and is undergoing extensive residential development. The New Mexico Office of the State Engineer (NMOSE) Hydrology Bureau has identified a need for more detailed hydrogeologic information to improve the NMOSE groundwater simulation model. To this end, I compiled existing geologic, hydrologic, and geophysical data, performed new geologic mapping, and measured water levels in 43 domestic wells. The synthesis of these data leads to an improved understanding of the distribution and flow patterns of groundwater in the area and the relation of groundwater to surface water, in addition to clarifying the geologic controls on the groundwater system.
Groundwater is replenished by a process called recharge, where snowmelt and rain infiltrates through the soil and slowly moves through the subsurface to eventually reach an aquifer. Because groundwater recharge defines a limit for the availability of groundwater, estimating recharge for the state of New Mexico is necessary for effective water resource management.
High-production municipal water well fields can depress water levels, cause land subsidence, and disturb subsurface aquifer temperatures. As an example, the City of Santa Fe’s Buckman well field located along the Rio Grande, was pumped at high rates from 1989 to 2003. This high-rate pumping led to a precipitous drop in water level (>100 m), caused measureable ground subsidence over a 25 km2 area (based on 1995-1997 InSAR [satellite-based] data), and created a land-surface fissure with 20 cm of vertical displacement. Pumping rates were reduced after 2003 and water levels have since risen ~120 m.
