New Mexico relies exclusively on ground water for its water supply. Albuquerque metro draws 100% of its water from drilled wells either shared or private. The city gets it from wells, (which is supplied to residents and businesses who are hooked up to city water) though this is starting to slowly change as the city of Albuquerque is building a treatment plant to treat Rio Grande water. However this is not an unlimited supply of water and the city is allowed only so much water to be drawn, so this cannot be a long term solution.
New Mexico's aquifer is curently being replenished at currently 50% of what is being taken out.
The city cannot keep growing at the rate it is growing without other sources of water. Albuquerque's city leaders are not addressing this issue.
A solution will have to be made in the very near future on how to resolve this but any way you look at it - the people living here are going to pay a lot for future water usage.
One solution is a desalination plant to treat salty or bad tasting water from the Gulf of California. Also Low-flow toilets and low-flow shower heads could be used to reduce the amount of water being used daily.
Albuquerque might be purchasing water from El Paso in the future and I'm quite sure for a high price due to their forsight on this serious matter.
However, 80% of the water currently consumed in New Mexico is for agriculture and not residential usage and I'm sure these numbers will change due to the growing population. The Problem- People in Albuquerque are currently using more water per capita than many other major cities in the southwest. The water from the aquifer is not being replenished as quickly as it is being pumped out. Population- 521,999 Climate-Albuquerque's climate is usually sunny and dry, with low relative humidity. Brilliant sunshine defines the region, averaging more than 300 days a year; periods of variably mid and high-level cloudiness temper the sun at other times. Extended cloudiness is rare. The city has four distinct seasons, but the heat and cold are mild compared to the extremes that occur more commonly in other parts of the country. Topography- The north-central part of New Mexico lies within the Southern Rocky Mountains, and the northwest forms part of the Colorado Plateau. The eastern two-fifths of the state fall on the western fringes of the Great Plains. The highest point in the state is Wheeler Peak, at 13,161 ft (4,014 m), and the lowest point, 2,842 ft (867 m), is at Red Bluff Reservoir. The Rio Grande traverses New Mexico from north to south and forms a small part of the state's southern border with Texas.
Topography
Demographics The per capita income for the city was 20,884. (Wikipedia) Major industries-Government, services, trade, agriculture, tourism, manufacturing, and research and development. In 2004 Abequerque was ranked the 12th best city in the nation for doing business by Forbes magazine. http://www.city-data.com/us-cities/The-West/Albuquerque-Economy.html GDP (2005)- $68,870,000,000 http://www.localcensus.com/state/New_Mexico Literacy rate- 95% https://www.casas.org/lit/litcode/Detail.CFM?census__AREAID=6479 Life Expectency- Male-74.4 years old, Female-80.1 years old (census.gov) Hydrolgy data-Albuquerque's drinking water comes from a delicate aquifer that was once described as an underground Lake Superior. Much of the rainwater that Albuquerque receives does not recharge its aquifer. It is diverted through storm drains called arroyos to the Rio Grande river. The water flowing in the Rio Grande was thought to recharge Albuquerque's aquifer, instead it is actually separated from the rest of the water table. Watershed- A watershed is an area of land drained by a river, river system, or body of water and bounded by mountains or ridges of high land. Other terms to describe a watershed are basin or catchment, basically any topographic area where water drains. The MRG-A (Middle Rio Grande-Albuquerque) Watershed extends from the southern border of Santa Ana Pueblo to the northern border of Isleta Pueblo. This watershed is home to approximately 50% of the population of New Mexico and includes two counties, two cities, four tribes and numerous towns, villages, and unincorporated communities. Much of this basin is highly urbanized but it also surrounds rural areas and is subject to a mixture of discharges from industrial, commercial, agricultural and rural sources, and their related water quality problems. Potential pollution sources include wastewater treatment plant outfalls, septic tanks, Superfund sites, underground storage tanks, concentrated animal feeding operations and urban runoff from large expanses of impervious surfaces.
Albuquerque, New Mexico
New Mexico relies exclusively on ground water for its water supply. Albuquerque metro draws 100% of its water from drilled wells either shared or private. The city gets it from wells, (which is supplied to residents and businesses who are hooked up to city water) though this is starting to slowly change as the city of Albuquerque is building a treatment plant to treat Rio Grande water. However this is not an unlimited supply of water and the city is allowed only so much water to be drawn, so this cannot be a long term solution.New Mexico's aquifer is curently being replenished at currently 50% of what is being taken out.
The city cannot keep growing at the rate it is growing without other sources of water. Albuquerque's city leaders are not addressing this issue.
A solution will have to be made in the very near future on how to resolve this but any way you look at it - the people living here are going to pay a lot for future water usage.
One solution is a desalination plant to treat salty or bad tasting water from the Gulf of California. Also Low-flow toilets and low-flow shower heads could be used to reduce the amount of water being used daily.
Albuquerque might be purchasing water from El Paso in the future and I'm quite sure for a high price due to their forsight on this serious matter.
However, 80% of the water currently consumed in New Mexico is for agriculture and not residential usage and I'm sure these numbers will change due to the growing population.
The Problem- People in Albuquerque are currently using more water per capita than many other major cities in the southwest. The water from the aquifer is not being replenished as quickly as it is being pumped out.
Population- 521,999
Climate-Albuquerque's climate is usually sunny and dry, with low relative humidity. Brilliant sunshine defines the region, averaging more than 300 days a year; periods of variably mid and high-level cloudiness temper the sun at other times. Extended cloudiness is rare. The city has four distinct seasons, but the heat and cold are mild compared to the extremes that occur more commonly in other parts of the country.
Topography- The north-central part of New Mexico lies within the Southern Rocky Mountains, and the northwest forms part of the Colorado Plateau. The eastern two-fifths of the state fall on the western fringes of the Great Plains. The highest point in the state is Wheeler Peak, at 13,161 ft (4,014 m), and the lowest point, 2,842 ft (867 m), is at Red Bluff Reservoir. The Rio Grande traverses New Mexico from north to south and forms a small part of the state's southern border with Texas.
Demographics
The per capita income for the city was 20,884. (Wikipedia)
Major industries-Government, services, trade, agriculture, tourism, manufacturing, and research and development. In 2004 Abequerque was ranked the 12th best city in the nation for doing business by Forbes magazine. http://www.city-data.com/us-cities/The-West/Albuquerque-Economy.html
GDP (2005)- $68,870,000,000 http://www.localcensus.com/state/New_Mexico
Literacy rate- 95% https://www.casas.org/lit/litcode/Detail.CFM?census__AREAID=6479
Life Expectency- Male-74.4 years old, Female-80.1 years old (census.gov)
Hydrolgy data-Albuquerque's drinking water comes from a delicate aquifer that was once described as an underground Lake Superior. Much of the rainwater that Albuquerque receives does not recharge its aquifer. It is diverted through storm drains called arroyos to the Rio Grande river. The water flowing in the Rio Grande was thought to recharge Albuquerque's aquifer, instead it is actually separated from the rest of the water table.
Watershed- A watershed is an area of land drained by a river, river system, or body of water and bounded by mountains or ridges of high land. Other terms to describe a watershed are basin or catchment, basically any topographic area where water drains. The MRG-A (Middle Rio Grande-Albuquerque) Watershed extends from the southern border of Santa Ana Pueblo to the northern border of Isleta Pueblo. This watershed is home to approximately 50% of the population of New Mexico and includes two counties, two cities, four tribes and numerous towns, villages, and unincorporated communities. Much of this basin is highly urbanized but it also surrounds rural areas and is subject to a mixture of discharges from industrial, commercial, agricultural and rural sources, and their related water quality problems. Potential pollution sources include wastewater treatment plant outfalls, septic tanks, Superfund sites, underground storage tanks, concentrated animal feeding operations and urban runoff from large expanses of impervious surfaces.
http://www.cabq.gov/aes/s5water.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albuquerque
http://www.challenge.nm.org/archive/00-01/FinalReports/013//
http://sandia.gov/news/resources/releases/2006/waterpol.html
Pictures...http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/Tingley_Beach_Albuquerque_NM.jpghttp://proceedings.esri.com/library/userconf/proc01/professional/papers/pap487/p04871.jpghttp://www.epa.gov/bioiweb1/images/streams/rio_grande_river_Albuquerque_NM_IMG_8549web.JPGhttp://www.cabq.gov/progress/images/1.1_graph_1.jpghttp://restoringrivers.org/images/success/albuquerque/AOPchannel4pixsm.jpg - VEGETATIONhttp://www.undercovertourist.com/images/tourist-information/united-states/new-mexico/albuquerque_climate1.jpg - CLIMATEhttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/Albuquerque_aerial.jpg- Rio Grande River in background
http://www.nmenv.state.nm.us/fod/LiquidWaste/Albuquerque.gif - TOPOGRAPHY