Potentiometric Surface Maps in the Middle Rio Grande Basin: Rising Water Levels in the Production Zone

Groundwater pumping in the Middle Rio Grande Basin has resulted in groundwater level declines in the local aquifer’s production zone of more than 120 feet from pre-development (1950s) water levels. The USGS New Mexico Water Science Center, in cooperation with the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority (ABCWUA), measures groundwater levels at monitoring wells throughout the Middle Rio Grande Basin. These data are used to develop potentiometric-surface maps depicting static groundwater elevation contours of the production zone. Published potentiometric-surface maps for water years 2002, 2008, and 2012, and preliminary results for water year 2016 show the effects of ABCWUA’s water resource management strategies on the aquifer and can be used to quantify groundwater elevation changes over time. Specifically, the groundwater-monitoring network and potentiometric-surface maps show a rise in groundwater levels, of over 30 feet in some areas, since 2008 corresponding to a significant reduction in groundwater pumping. These maps are a useful tool for water resource management and for the evaluation of management strategies, such as those documented in ABCWUA’s “Water 2120” plan. Other applications of the maps include estimating water availability for projected population growth, evaluating the resiliency of Albuquerque’s water supply to the impacts of climate change, and testing model accuracy in predicting long-term effects of groundwater withdrawal.