Session: Field Trip: Water Resources in the Middle Rio Grande Basin

2007 Ground Water Summit


Thursday, May 3, 2007: 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

Field Trip: Water Resources in the Middle Rio Grande Basin
The Middle Rio Grande Basin (MRGB) is one of a series of deep sedimentary basins in the Rio Grande rift valley. Ground water from the MRGB has been the primary drinking water source for the Albuquerque metropolitan area. In the 1950s and 1960s, it was widely assumed that the MRGB ground water supply was almost limitless, but ground water withdrawals have resulted in water level declines in excess of 150 feet in some parts of the MRGB aquifer. In 1995, the MRGB was declared a "critical basin" because of rapid economic and population growth coupled with inadequate technical information about water availability. Immediately prior to and since that time, many federal, state, and local agencies and local consulting firms have worked to improve the understanding of the hydrogeology and water resources of the MRGB.
Organizer:	Stephanie J. Moore, Daniel B. Stephens & Associates Inc.