By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper.
Albuquerque’s cracked, dry stretch of the Rio Grande is getting a temporary reprieve — though the agencies behind it are clear this is a science project, not a fix.
The Water Authority and a coalition of partners released roughly 2,000 acre-feet — more than 650 million gallons — of San Juan-Chama water from Abiquiu Reservoir on Tuesday. The water is expected to reach town by Thursday.
“This one-time release will allow us to gather important data about how water flows through the river,” said Water Authority Board Chair Barbara Baca, adding it’s also meant to help vegetation and wildlife hit by the drought.
New Mexico State Engineer Liz Anderson called the multi-agency effort — which also includes the Interstate Stream Commission, New Mexico Tech, the state Bureau of Geology, Audubon Southwest, UNM’s Water Resources Department, the Utton Center and BEMP — an example of interagency cooperation on the state’s water crisis.
“This year’s river drying is unprecedented,” said Audubon Southwest’s Paul Tashjian, noting the stress it’s put on the bosque through town.
The water combines Water Authority supplies with contributions from the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District and Audubon, drawn from water earmarked for the environment rather than irrigation. “Coordinating its release with our partners allows us to meet that obligation,” said MRGCD’s Anne Marken.
The release follows a brutal year for the river: The Paper. reported in May that Albuquerque’s water utility had already shifted to pumping 100% groundwater by late April — the earliest such switch on record — as reservoir storage sank below 15% of capacity amid the region’s lowest snowpack in decades.