An Overview of the NMBGMR Collaborative Groundwater Monitoring Network and How to Get Involved
Monday, February 26, 2018: 11:05 a.m.
Sara Chudnoff, PG
,
New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, Albuquerque, NM
Stacy Timmons
,
NM Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, Socorro, NM
In the southwest U.S., we face a future of warmer annual average temperatures, with increasing variability in precipitation, reduced groundwater recharge, and increasing demand on groundwater. However, because of limited funding, groundwater level monitoring programs in New Mexico have been shrinking over the past several years. Many of the groundwater users in New Mexico know the importance of groundwater level monitoring and its applications in research and modeling. The Aquifer Mapping Program at the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources is tapping into the willingness of water-interested New Mexicans to share data and resources to develop the Collaborative Groundwater Monitoring Network. This collaboration is achieved by collecting data from groups or well owners that are monitoring water levels, equipping or manually measuring wells, and providing education and outreach. With these partnerships, the Network is able to fill spatial and temporal gaps in the current groundwater level monitoring networks while promoting increased awareness of groundwater issues and providing an important dataset for making informed water management decisions.
Sara Chudnoff, PG, New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, Albuquerque, NM
Sara Chudnoff is a Hydrogeologist with the NMBGMR Aquifer Mapping Program. Ms. Chudnoff is leading the implementation of the Collaborative Groundwater Monitoring Network, which is a non-traditional approach to filling temporal and spatial water level monitoring gaps throughout the State of New Mexico. Ms. Chudnoff has a Bachelors of Science in Geology from New Mexico Tech and a Masters in Water Resources from the University of New Mexico.
Stacy Timmons, NM Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, Socorro, NM
Stacy Timmons manages the Aquifer Mapping Program with the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources at New Mexico Tech, in Socorro. Working with the Aquifer Mapping Program, she has been involved with several large-scale, long-term hydrogeologic studies focused on geologic influences on recharge, and groundwater movement and occurrence. She has worked in diverse locations over New Mexico, including San Agustin Plains, Magdalena, Tularosa Basin, Truth or Consequences hot springs district, La Cienega wetlands, and southern Sacramento Mountains. Timmons has B.S. and M.S. degrees in geology and has worked in hydrogeology for the Bureau of Geology since 2004.
