Meeting the Challenge for Compliant Water Quality for Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority Customers

More than 95 groundwater wells in the Santa Fe Group Aquifer combine with water produced by the San Juan-Chama Drinking Water Project to produce about 33 billion gallons of drinking water to supply Water Authority customers every year. It is the Water Authority’s responsibility to assure the drinking water supply complies with all Safe Drinking Act Maximum Contaminant Levels. Multiple water supply sources of varying water qualities present unique challenges for production and distribution. While wells in different parts of the aquifer produce similar water qualities, each well demonstrates characteristic trends in water quality, which may vary over time and with the duration of each pumping event. Although the quality of water produced by the San Juan-Chama Drinking Water Project drinking water plant varies little, the availability of the supply source may vary seasonally. The Water Authority must be prepared to operate the water system as a groundwater supply, as a surface water supply, or as a combined groundwater-surface water supply. 

To meet the regulatory challenge, the water quality of the water supply sources are routinely monitored. Demonstrated water quality trends are used to maximize the flexibility of the water supply system to produce, blend, and distribute a regulatory compliant water supply, whatever the combination of supply sources.

This presentation will provide an overview of the water quality of the sources, a description of how the water system works, and demonstrate methods used to produce, blend, and distribute a water supply that reliably complies with all drinking water regulatory standards.