GroundWater Resources and Flow Modeling in the Middle Rio Grande Albuquerque Basin

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Ground-Water Resources and Flow Modeling in the
Middle Rio Grande (Albuquerque) Basin Doug
McAda Dr. Peggy Barroll USGS NM WSC NM
OSE
New Mexico Office of the State Engineer
U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological
Survey
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Location of the Middle Rio Grande Basin within
the Rio Grande Rift also called Albuquerque
Basin and Albuquerque-Belen Basin
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Cuba
Middle Rio Grande Basin and vicinityStudy
Areabetween Cochitiand San Acacia about
3,000 mi2
Cochiti Lake
Santa Fe
Jemez Canyon Resvr.
Rio Grande
Albuquerque
Rio Puerco
Laguna del Perro
Rio Salado
San Acacia
Mullins and Hare (1999)
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Ground-Water Resources and Flow Modeling

• Need for better understanding of the Aquifer
  System
• USGS Middle Rio Grande Basin (MRGB) Study
  (1995-2001) understanding the Aquifer System
• Ground-water-flow model development (update)
• Ground-water-flow model as a tool for
  water-resource management

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Why is Ground Water Important in the MRGB?

• About 40 of the population of New Mexico live in
  the basin about 700,000 people
• Ground water is the source of water for
  municipal, domestic, commercial, and industrial
  uses
• Ground water and surface water are hydrologically
  connected
• Surface water is fully appropriated

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Need for Better Understanding

• Permeable part of aquifer has limited extent

With more information in the 1990s
With limited information in the 1960s
Modified from Bjorklund and Maxwell (1961)
Modified from Hawley (1995)

• Water-level declines in east Albuquerque gt 160 ft
  in mid 1980s

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USGS Middle Rio Grande Basin Study
The USGS Middle Rio Grande Basin Study
(1995-2001) examined the hydrology, geology, and
land-surface characteristics of the basin to
provide the scientific information needed for
water-resources management
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MRGB Studycontributing governments and agencies
City of Albuquerque Pueblo of Cochiti NM
Office of the State Engineer Pueblo of
Isleta NM Bureau of Geology and Mineral
Resources Pueblo of Jemez Albuquerque
Metropolitan Arroyo Flood Pueblo of
Laguna Control Authority Middle Rio Grande
Council of Governments Pueblo of San
Felipe Middle Rio Grande Conservancy
District Pueblo of Sandia Bureau of
Reclamation Pueblo of Santa Ana NM Environment
Department Pueblo of Santo Domingo Sandia
National Laboratories Pueblo of Zia Los Alamos
National Laboratories City of Santa Fe U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency Village of Los
Lunas U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Bernalillo
County University of New Mexico Santa Fe County
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• http//www.usgs.gov/
• Publications
• Publications Warehouse

Bartolino and Cole (2002)
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Information for better understanding of the MRGB
aquifer, for example

• Basin Geologic Framework
• Ground-Water Flow Paths
• Aquifer Recharge and Discharge
• Effects of Pumping by Wells on Aquifer Water
  Levels

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Geologic model of the Middle Rio Grande Basin
constrained by gravity data Basin-fill
sediments are stripped out
Grauch, Rodriguez,and Deszcz-Pan (2002)
V.J.S. Grauch
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Stratigraphy of basin-fill sediments shown in
cross section
Bartolino and Cole (2002)
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Ground-Water Chemistry Provides Information on
Ground-Water Flow Paths and Recharge Areas
Plummer, Bexfield, and Anderholm (2002)
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Sources of Recharge
Photos by J.R. Bartolino
Mountain-front recharge
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Sources of Recharge
Tributary and arroyo recharge
Photos by J.R. Bartolino
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Sources of Recharge
Photo by J.R. Bartolino
Subsurface recharge from west side
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Sources of Recharge
Cochiti Lake
Jemez River
Photos by J.R. Bartolino
Perennial Surface Water
Rio Grande
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Sources of Recharge
Canals and Crop Irrigation
Inner Valley
Photos by J.R. Bartolino
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Sources of Discharge
Inner Valley
Drains
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Sources of Discharge
Riparian Evapotranspiration
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Sources of Discharge
Rio Rancho
Albuquerque
Los Lunas
Belen
Withdrawal by Wells
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Monitor Water Levels in Observation Wells
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GW / SW Interaction
Rio Grande Riverside Drains Interior
Drains Canals Irrigation Wells Evapotranspiration
Modified from Bexfield and Anderholm (1997)
Modified from Bullard and Wells (1992)
Schematics of Inner Valley Irrigation Network
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Ground-Water Flow Model Objectives

• Integrate components of the GW flow system
  including GW/SW hydrologic interaction to better
  understand the geohydrology of the basin
• Provide a tool for water managers to plan for and
  administer basin water resources

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Finite-Difference Model Grid

• Lateral boundaries correspond primarily with
  faults and hydraulic discontinuities

McAda and Barroll, 2002
Modified from Bexfield and Anderholm, 2000
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V.J.S. Grauch
McAda and Barroll, 2002
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Hydraulic-conductivity zones in the model
Hydraulic conductivity in the east-west direction
(feet per day)
McAda and Barroll, 2002
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Horizontal anisotropy ranges from 11 to
51Hydraulic conductivity is enhanced in the
N-S direction
Horizontal Anisotropy
11 21 51
Approximate location of bedrock structural high
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Simulated annual water Budget
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Ground-water Flow Model as a Tool for
Water-Resource Management
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Middle Rio Grande Basin (Albuquerque Basin)

• Large Alluvial Aquifer System
• Through flowing stream Rio Grande
• Highly variable flow
• Downstream water users in New Mexico and Texas.
• Interstate Compact obligations

Bartolino and Cole, 2002
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Hydrologic Effects of Groundwater Use on Surface
Water Flows

• Groundwater and surface water are hydrologically
  connected
• 1960s Litigation between the State and the City
  of Albuquerque determined that the State could
  require offsets as a condition of granting a
  groundwater permit

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Water Management City of Albuquerque

• Albuquerque obtains all drinking water from
  groundwater
• State requires Albuquerque to offset the effects
  calculated upon the Rio Grande
• Originally using Glover Balmer method
• Now Groundwater models

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Water Management City of Albuquerque

• Offset water consists of
• Waste water
• San Juan-Chama water transmountain diversion
  new water,
• Retirement of additional water rights.
• These offsets
• Protect downstream user, Rio Grande Compact

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But What About the Aquifer?

• Late 1980s the City of Albuquerque (Kelly
  Summers) observed plummeting water levels.

Bexfield and Anderholm, 2002
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But What About the Aquifer?

• City initiated intense study of aquifer in 1990s
  with the USGS and NM Bureau of Geology.
• In 1995 USGS completed groundwater model of
  Albuquerque Basin aquifer (Mike Kernodle and
  others)

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But What About the Aquifer?

• Groundwater model predicted large and continuing
  drawdowns
• Possibility of land subsidence
• Modeling shows only limited areas of really good
  water availability
• Deeper groundwater has been observed to have
  quality problems (Arsenic)

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Change of Course by City of Albuquerque

• From Groundwater-only water supply

• To Direct Diversion of Surface Water (
  groundwater in times of low surface water supply)

City of Albuquerque Diagram
Photos by J.R. Bartolino
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Change in States Water Management in MRG

• Use of Groundwater model in calculating timing of
  pumping effects on Rio Grande (instead of
  Glover-Balmer method).
• Changes in Offset requirements to prevent
  over-appropriation

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Change in States Water Management in MRG

• Water level management to prevent or limit
  subsidence. (Previously only local impairment
  was considered in evaluating drawdowns.)
• Definition of Critical Management Areas in
  which new appropriations of groundwater are not
  permitted

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Continued Technical Work

• Additional modeling work
• USGS and OSE by Kernodle, Tiedeman, etc.
• Modified Tiedeman et al. (1998) model was adopted
  by the State for administration
• Additional hydrogeologic studies by USGS, NM
  Bureau of Geology, NM Office of the State
  Engineer, USBOR, USCOE, City of Albuquerque, UNM.

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Continued Technical Work

• 2002 Groundwater model Incorporates new
  hydrogeologic data from past several years of
  intensive research
• New geologic mapping and model
• Data from new piezometers
• New recharge estimates
• Results of 2002 modeling are generally consistent
  with earlier models

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Current State of Groundwater Administration in
Middle Rio Grande

• State still uses modified Tiedeman model for
  Administration of existing large permits
• Small applications are generally analyzed without
  the use of groundwater models
• It is anticipated that the 2002 groundwater model
  will be employed in the future
• Revision of Administrative Guidelines
• Evaluation of newly proposed large groundwater
  diversions

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Groundwater Administration State-wide

• Require offsets of depletions to surface water
  system
• Protection of aquifer from excessive drawdown
• Management of mined basins
• Definition of Critical Management Areas

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Groundwater Administration State-wide

• Active Water Resource Management (AWRM)
  Distribution of water in times of shortage.
• Priority Enforcement (curtailing junior water
  rights)
• Alternatives such as shortage sharing
• New Controls on Domestic Wells

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Technical Tools for Groundwater Administration

• Tools to simulate surface water depletions
  associated with groundwater use
• Always uncertainty in calculations need to
  ensure we are protecting the streams
• If aquifer is well-connected to stream, all
  groundwater depletions will eventually be felt by
  stream, its just a matter of timing.

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Technical Tools for Groundwater Administration

• Models to simulate water level changes
• New uses
• Changes in Management
• Switch from groundwater to surface water use
• Shortage sharing schemes
• Priority enforcement

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Information Management Needs

• Hydrologic data
• Hydrologic properties
• Hydrologic features
• Flows and water levels
• Data on water use
• Data on water rights
• Priorities
• Estimates of future use

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Questions?