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This report is available at:

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Suggested citation: Powell, R.I., and McKean, S.E., 2014, Estimated 2012 groundwater 

potentiometric surface and drawdown from predevelopment to 2012 in the Santa Fe Group 

aquifer system in the Albuquerque metropolitan area, central New Mexico: U.S. Geological 

Survey Scientific Investigations Map 3301, 1 sheet, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sim3301. 

I SBN 978- 1- 4113- 3805- 0

9 7 8 141 1 3 380 5 0

ISSN 2329-1311 (print)

ISSN 2329-132X (online)

http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sim3301

Printed on recycled paper

Estimated 2012 Groundwater Potentiometric Surface and Drawdown from Predevelopment to 2012 in 

the Santa Fe Group Aquifer System in the Albuquerque Metropolitan Area, Central New Mexico

By

Rachel I. Powell and Sarah E. McKean

2014

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Prepared in cooperation with the Scientific Investigations Map 3301

 Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority

I 25 I 40

Armijo

IMW B Nest

Rio Grande

Isleta

Montano Nest 6

Rio Bravo Park

4,950

4,890

4,910

4,970

4,930

4,870

4,910

4,890

4,910

4,890

4,870

4,990

4,890

4,870

4,930

4,870

4,850

4,910

4,890

4,850

4,950

4,910

Del Sol

350534106354702

Lincoln

351515106410402

Garfield

350706106390302 Matheson

350653106311602

Nor Este

351114106330602

Westgate

350244106450202

Montessa

350056106370102

West Bluff

350638106413702

Sierra Vista

350910106414802

21

106°45'0" 106°42'30" 106°40'0" 106°37'30" 106°35'0" 106°32'30" 106°30'0"

35°15'0"

35°12'30"

35°10'0"

35°7'30"

35°5'0"

35°2'30"

35°0'0"

34°57'30"

SANDOVAL COUNTY

BERNALILLO COUNTY

ALBUQUERQUE

KIRTLAND AIR 

FORCE BASE

RIO RANCHO

NEW MEXICO

Map area

0 3 6 MILES

0 3 6 KILOMETERS

Base from ESRI Data and Maps, 2008 World, Europe, United States, Canada, and Mexico (2008). Redlands, Calif., ESRI, digital data, 1:50,000

Faults modified from Mark Hudson and Scott Minor, U.S. Geological Survey, written commun., 1999

Streams, military base, and Indian reservation boundaries from the U.S. Department of Commerce,

Bureau of the Census, various years, TIGER/Line files, digital data, 1:100,000

Universal Transverse Mercator Zone 13N projection

North American Datum of 1983 and North American Vertical Datum of 1988

EXPLANATION

Well used to verify the groundwater-level change

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) water-level measurement 

(by steel tape or electric tape) in USGS piezometer, 2011–12

Piezometer for which hydrograph is shown for period of record

and USGS site identifier

USGS water-level measurement (by steel tape or electric tape)

in USGS piezometer—Not used in constructing the

potentiometric surface

USGS water-level measurement (by steel tape or 

electric tape) in Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility 

Authority supply well, 2011–12

Piezometer used to determine the difference in water level 

between the shallow aquifer and the production zone along 

the Rio Grande

Approximate direction of groundwater flow

351515106410402

USGS water-level measurement (by steel tape or

electric tape) in Albuquerque Bernalillo County

Water Utility Authority supply well—Not used in

constructing the potentiometric surface

City of Rio Rancho water-level measurement (by airline)

in City of Rio Rancho supply well—Not used in

constructing the potentiometric surface

Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) or Kirtland Air Force

Base (KAFB) water-level measurement (by steel tape

or electric tape) in SNL and KAFB piezometer, 2011–13

SNL or KAFB water-level measurement (by steel tape or

electric tape) in SNL and KAFB piezometer—

Not used in constructing the potentiometric surface

City of Rio Rancho water-level measurement (by airline)

in City of Rio Rancho supply well, 2010–12

Potentiometric contour, 2012—Shows altitude at which water level

would have stood in tightly cased wells, estimated 2012, interval 

20 feet. Dashed where inferred. Datum is the North American 

Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88)

Area of apparent hydraulic discontinuity, not near a known fault, 

as identified by Bexfield and Anderholm (2000)

Basin-bounding fault in the area of a large hydraulic discontinuity, 

as identified by Bexfield and Anderholm (2000)

4,850

No drawdown

0 to 20

21 to 40

41 to 60

61 to 80

81 to 100

101 to 120

More than 120

Estimated drawdown, in feet, predevelopment

to 2012—Areas underlying dashed contour are approximate

Abstract

Historically, the water-supply requirements of the Albuquerque metropolitan area of central 

New Mexico were met almost exclusively by groundwater withdrawal from the Santa Fe Group 

aquifer system. In response to water-level declines, the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility 

Authority (ABCWUA) began diverting water from the San Juan-Chama Drinking Water Project in 

December 2008 to reduce the use of groundwater to meet municipal demand. Modifications in the 

demand for water and the source of the supply of water for the Albuquerque metropolitan area have 

resulted in a variable response in the potentiometric surface of the production zone (the interval of 

the aquifer, from within about 200 feet below the water table to 900 feet or more, in which supply 

wells generally are screened) of the Santa Fe Group aquifer system. Analysis of the magnitude and 

spatial distribution of water-level change can help improve the understanding of how the 

groundwater system responds to withdrawals and variations in the management of the water supply 

and can support water-management agencies’ efforts to minimize future water-level declines and 

improve sustainability. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the ABCWUA, has 

developed an estimate of the 2012 potentiometric surface of the production zone of the Santa Fe 

Group aquifer system in the Albuquerque metropolitan area. This potentiometric surface is the latest 

in a series of reports depicting the potentiometric surface of the area.

This report presents the estimated potentiometric surface during winter (from December to 

March) of water year 2012 and the estimated changes in potentiometric surface between 

predevelopment (pre-1961) and water year 2012 for the production zone of the Santa Fe Group 

aquifer system in the Albuquerque metropolitan area. Hydrographs from selected piezometers are 

included to provide details of historical water-level changes.

In general, water-level measurements used for this report were collected in small-diameter 

observation wells screened over short intervals near the middle of the production zone and were 

considered to best represent the potentiometric head in the production zone. The water-level 

measurements were collected by various local and Federal agencies. The water year 2012 

potentiometric surface map was created in a geographic information system, and the change in 

water-level altitude from predevelopment to water year 2012 was calculated. The 2012 

potentiometric surface indicates that the general direction of groundwater flow is from the Rio 

Grande towards clusters of supply wells in the east, north, and west. Water-level changes from 

predevelopment to 2012 were variable across the Albuquerque metropolitan area. Estimated 

drawdown from 2008 was spatially variable across the Albuquerque metropolitan area. Hydrographs 

from piezometers on the east side of the river indicate an increase in the annual highest water-level 

measurement from 2008 to 2012. Hydrographs from piezometers in the northwest part of the study 

area indicate either steady decline of the water-level altitude over the period of record or recently 

variable trends in which water-level altitudes increased for a number of years but have declined 

since water year 2012. 

Introduction

In the past, groundwater withdrawal from the Santa Fe Group aquifer system was the principal 

water supply for the Albuquerque metropolitan area of central New Mexico. The large quantity of 

groundwater withdrawal relative to recharge has resulted in drawdown in the aquifer system 

throughout the metropolitan area (Bexfield and Anderholm, 2002a). Additionally, increased demand 

for water in the area has been driven by population growth of approximately 22 percent from 2000 

to 2010 (Rice and others, 2014). In response to the drawdown, the Albuquerque Bernalillo County 

Water Utility Authority (ABCWUA) has implemented a strategy to obtain and develop sustainable 

sources of water for municipal use (ABCWUA, 2007). The principal components of this strategy 

include use of renewable surface-water allocations as the primary municipal supply, establishment 

of a groundwater reserve for times of drought, increased use of water-conservation measures to 

reduce water consumption, and regional water-resource planning and management. The ABCWUA 

began diverting water from the San Juan-Chama Drinking Water Project in December 2008 to meet 

municipal demand. Groundwater withdrawals will be gradually reduced as the distribution of treated 

water from the San Juan-Chama Drinking Water Project is increased to provide 90 percent of the 

municipal supply (ABCWUA, 2009). Additionally, the ABCWUA initiated development of a 

groundwater reserve by testing the injection of treated water in the northeast part of the metropolitan 

area at the Webster Well Field in May 2013 (Fleck, 2013). The ABCWUA’s efforts at encouraging 

consumers to reduce consumption through various conservation efforts have resulted in

“ * * * lowering [the] per capita usage from more than 250 gallons per day in the mid-1990s to

less than 150 gpcd [gallons per capita daily] today” (ABCWUA, 2013). 

Changes in the demand for water and in the source of the primary water supply for the 

Albuquerque metropolitan area have resulted in a variable response in the potentiometric surface of 

the production zone (the interval of the aquifer, from within about 200 feet (ft) below the water table 

to 900 ft or more, in which supply wells generally are screened) of the Santa Fe Group aquifer 

system (Bexfield and Anderholm, 2002b; Falk and others, 2011). Analysis of the magnitude and 

spatial distribution of water-level change can help improve the understanding of how the 

groundwater system responds to withdrawals and variations in the management of the water supply 

and can support water-management agencies’ efforts to minimize future water-level declines and 

improve sustainability. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the ABCWUA, 

has developed an estimate of the 2012 potentiometric surface of the production zone of the Santa Fe 

Group aquifer system for the Albuquerque metropolitan area. This potentiometric surface is the 

latest in a series of reports depicting the potentiometric surface of the area (Bexfield and Anderholm, 

2002b; Falk and others, 2011).

Purpose and Scope

This report presents the estimated groundwater potentiometric surface for water year 2012 

(hereafter, a stated year refers to the water year [period from October 1 through September 30 

designated by the calendar year in which it ends]) and the estimated changes in water-level altitudes 

between predevelopment and 2012 for the production zone of the Santa Fe Group aquifer system. 

The study area includes Albuquerque and the surrounding metropolitan area including the federally 

owned property associated with Kirtland Air Force Base (KAFB). Water-level altitudes used to 

construct the 2012 potentiometric-surface map were measured during winter (December to March) 

of 2012. Hydrographs from selected piezometers are included to provide details of historical 

water-level changes.

Data Sources

The accuracy of water-level altitudes used in this report is related to the methods used to 

determine the altitude of land surface and to measure the depth to water in the well. Water-level 

altitudes were calculated as the difference between the land-surface altitude and the measured depth 

to water. Land-surface altitudes were determined by the USGS by estimating from 7.5-minute 

topographic quadrangle maps or Global Positioning System methods or were determined by the 

agency reporting the water-level altitude. All land-surface altitudes were assumed to be accurate to 

within plus or minus 5 ft, the accuracy of the likely least accurate method (estimation from 

7.5-minute topographic quadrangle maps with 10-ft land-surface-altitude contour intervals).

Depths to water in wells were measured by using a steel tape, an electric tape, or an airline. The 

standard USGS procedure for water-level measurement is done by using a steel tape (Cunningham 

and Schalk, 2011), which is generally considered accurate to within plus or minus 0.01 ft (Sweet and 

others, 1990; Dalton and others, 1991). Electric-tape measurements of shallow water-level altitudes 

conducted with a well-maintained probe are accurate to within plus or minus 0.02 ft (Dalton and 

others, 1991). Airline measurements of water-level altitude by determination of the pressure 

required to displace the water from a known length of submerged tubing are accurate to within plus 

or minus 0.25 ft (Garber and Koopman, 1968; Dalton and others, 1991). For this report, steel-tape 

and electric-tape measurements were considered accurate to within 1 ft. Airline measurements were 

considered accurate to within 5 ft and were used only when other data were not available, when 

water-level altitudes were comparable to data for nearby wells, and when water-level altitudes from

a well did not show erratic variation over the period of record. Water-level altitudes were reported 

in the USGS National Water Information System (NWIS) in the National Geodetic Vertical Datum 

of 1929 (NGVD 29), which was then converted to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 

(NAVD 88) to use for the creation of the potentiometric surface.

Water-level altitudes from wells and piezometers screened in the middle of the production zone 

were considered to best represent the potentiometric head in the production zone (the potentiometric 

head is the altitude at which water stands in a tightly cased well). The water-level altitudes measured 

at the water table can differ by 25 ft or more from the water-level altitudes measured in deeper parts 

of the aquifer; generally the potentiometric-head gradient is downward in the central and west parts 

of Albuquerque metropolitan area and upward in the east part of Albuquerque metropolitan area 

(Bexfield and Anderholm, 2002a). In general, piezometers used for this report were small-diameter 

observation wells screened over short intervals (5–20 ft) near the middle of the production zone 

(except for piezometers located at KAFB, described later in this section). 

Water-level measurements were not collected from numerous sites during water year 2012; 

therefore, measurements from 2010 to 2013 were used to increase the data density. Water-level 

measurements collected from 2010 to 2013 were determined to be comparable and within the 

uncertainty of the analysis because the variations in water-level measurements collected during this 

time period are similar to the variations in water-level measurements collected during a year in wells 

screened over a long interval. Bexfield and Anderholm (2002b) noted that water-level altitudes 

varied by 10 ft or more between nested piezometers that span the length of the screened interval in 

nearby supply wells. Additionally, water-level measurements in piezometers in the production zone 

generally vary 1–2 ft annually.

Water-level measurements for ABCWUA supply wells were collected by USGS personnel as 

part of a program to monitor near-static water-level altitudes during times of low water demand for 

each well. Measurements were collected in winter, which is generally the interval of maximum 

seasonal recovery of the aquifer from pumping stresses, and after the well had not been pumped for 

at least 2 weeks and the water-level altitude in the well had stabilized. A minimal number of 

measurements were collected in October, November, or April with a steel or electric tape. The

most recently available winter water-level altitude for each well, either 2011 or 2012, was 

used in this report.

Water-level measurements for the City of Rio Rancho supply wells were collected by City of 

Rio Rancho personnel and were provided to the USGS by the City of Rio Rancho Department of 

Public Works Utilities Operation Division (Mick Jakymiw and Steve Gallegos, City of Rio Rancho, 

written commun., 2013). Measurements in Rio Rancho supply wells were collected monthly after 

the well pump had been shut off for several hours and in some cases for days to months. Water-level 

measurements were collected with either an airline or an electric tape. City of Rio Rancho 

water-level-altitude data used in this report were selected from measurements collected primarily in 

February or March during 2010, 2011, or 2012. Water-level measurements from this time period 

collected with an electric tape and water-level measurements collected after the well had not been 

pumped for at least 1 week were considered to be more accurate and representative of aquifer 

conditions and were given preference in the water-level-data selection process for this report. 

Water-level measurements for selected Rio Rancho wells (including well 21, which was previously 

used to document substantial drawdown [Falk and others, 2011]) were not available for this report. 

Water-level measurements for 26 piezometer nests (4 nests are outside the area shown on the 

map; fig. 1), part of a water-level network maintained by the USGS in cooperation with the 

ABCWUA, were collected by USGS personnel with an electric or steel tape. The piezometer nests 

generally are located at least 1 mile (mi) from supply wells to reduce the short-term effects of 

pumping on measured water-level altitudes. The piezometers are installed as nested wells, usually 

three piezometers per nest, and in most cases the screen lengths are 5–10 ft. Typically, one 

piezometer is near the water table, one is near the middle of the production zone, and one is near the 

bottom of or below the production zone. Data used in this report were from piezometers screened 

near the middle of the production zone and were selected from measurements collected in winter 

during 2011 or 2012.

Continuous water-level-altitude data were collected by using pressure transducers at 

piezometer nests as part of the Albuquerque Basin monitoring network (Beman, 2013). Continuous 

water-level-altitude data for the period of record through 2012 (Beman, 2013) were used to evaluate 

trends in water-level altitudes. The data were collected hourly by using pressure transducers and 

dataloggers following USGS guidelines described in Freeman and others (2004; Joseph Beman, oral 

commun., 2010). The piezometer nests were visited every 4–8 weeks, at which times 

water-level-altitude data were downloaded from the dataloggers and measurements of water-level 

altitude were obtained (Joseph Beman, written commun., 2010).

Water-level measurements for 11 piezometers located on KAFB were collected by KAFB or 

Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) personnel (the SNL facility in New Mexico is located on 

KAFB) and were provided to the USGS by SNL (Michael Skelly and Sherry Ricketson, SNL, 

written commun., 2013). The piezometers, installed by SNL, generally are screened near the water 

table in the upper part of the aquifer. Water-level altitudes were usually measured 3 or 4 times a year 

and were measured with an electric or steel tape. For this report, water-level-altitude data were 

selected from measurements collected in winter during 2011, 2012, or 2013 with a preference given 

to measurements collected in 2012.

Water-level measurements for supply wells located on KAFB were collected by KAFB 

personnel and were provided to the USGS (Mark Dalzell, KAFB, written commun., 2012); however, 

the data did not meet the criteria to be included in this report.

For areas near the Rio Grande, few water-level measurements were available in the production 

zone; therefore, riverbed altitudes and water-level differences at five nested piezometer sites located 

near the river (Isleta, Rio Bravo Park, West Bluff, Montano Nest 6, and IMW B Nest; fig. 1) were 

used to estimate water-level altitudes in the production zone. Water-level measurements from a 

piezometer screened across the shallow aquifer and another screened across the production zone 

were compared to estimate the difference in potentiometric head between the shallow aquifer and 

the production zone. The potentiometric-head difference between the shallow aquifer and the 

production zone was then linearly interpolated along the length of the river at 1-mi intervals. 

Potentiometric heads in the shallow aquifer were 6 ft to more than 25 ft higher than potentiometric 

heads in the production zone (Beman, 2013). Presuming that the river and the shallow aquifer are 

hydraulically connected and that the altitude of the riverbed is representative of the potentiometric 

head in the shallow aquifer, an estimated water-level altitude in the production zone was calculated 

as the difference between the riverbed altitude and the production-zone potentiometric head along 

the river. 

Methods for Estimating Potentiometric Surface Contours and Drawdown

The 2012 potentiometric-surface map (fig. 1) was created by using a geographic information 

system (GIS). Well locations were plotted, and the water-level-altitude data were hand contoured on 

the basis of the water-level-altitude gradients between the wells in the GIS. Water-level-altitude 

contours were converted to a gridded surface by using a spline interpolation technique that requires 

the surface to exactly match the water-level altitude along the contour and to have minimum 

curvature; the technique was modified to better constrain the surface to the sample data range 

(Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc., 2009). Water-level altitudes from the 2012 

estimated potentiometric surface and the predevelopment (pre-1961) potentiometric surface of 

Bexfield and Anderholm (2000) were interpolated onto a grid of points spaced at 1,640-ft intervals. 

Comparison of observed water-level altitudes with calculated water-level altitudes from the gridded 

surface for all wells located within the contoured area (two wells were used to constrain the contours 

of water-level altitudes but were located outside the area contoured) had a root mean square error 

value of 2.8 ft and a coefficient of determination (R-squared) value of 0.979. The drawdown in the 

potentiometric surface from predevelopment to 2012 was then calculated for each grid point. A 

surface of the calculated drawdown was generated from the gridded points by using the spline 

interpolation technique. Paired predevelopment and 2012 water-level measurements from 15 wells 

were used to verify the calculated drawdown. Comparison of the observed drawdown for the 15 

wells had a root mean square error value of 5.9 ft and an R-squared value of 0.994. The extent of the 

potentiometric surface and the estimated drawdown shown on the map (fig. 1) were selected to 

focus on areas where the most data were available, and in general, the boundary was selected to 

exclude areas where water-level measurements were sparse. The east edge of the contoured area was 

selected with the intent of excluding the area east of where Bexfield and Anderholm (2000) 

indicated the existence of hydraulic discontinuities, probably associated with major faults, where 

water-level altitudes would not be representative of the production zone. 

Estimated 2012 Groundwater Potentiometric Surface and Drawdown

from Predevelopment to 2012 

The areas of water-level change presented in figure 1 are intended to provide only reasonable 

estimates of the general magnitude, extent, and spatial distribution of drawdown in the production 

zone of the Santa Fe Group aquifer system. Because of the degree of variability and accuracy of the 

data and the uncertainty introduced by the comparison of interpolated values on a discrete grid, the 

boundaries shown between intervals of drawdown are not precisely located. Areas of increased 

uncertainty are shown on figure 1 by dashed lines. It is not appropriate to use this map to estimate 

the exact drawdown at an individual location.

Hydrographs 

Hydrographs from selected piezometers for the period of record (fig. 2) were examined visually 

for trends in water-level altitudes. Water-level altitudes are reported as referenced to the NGVD 29, 

as reported in the USGS NWIS. The altitudes of the annual highest water levels (AHWLs) are 

highlighted on the hydrographs to indicate the maximum amount of recovery of the aquifer from 

pumping stresses during the year. Hydrographs from the selected piezometers indicate seasonal 

variation in water levels that is related to withdrawals from nearby supply wells; in general, 

water-level altitudes decline during summer, when withdrawals are larger, and increase during 

winter, when withdrawals are smaller. 

Trends in water-level altitudes shown in the hydrographs vary spatially across the Albuquerque 

metropolitan area. In general, similar trends are indicated by hydrographs from piezometers in the 

northeast, southeast, northwest, and southwest parts of the study area as defined by Interstate 

Highway 40 and the Rio Grande (fig. 1). Hydrographs from piezometers in the northeast and 

southeast areas (Del Sol, Garfield, Matheson, Montessa, and Nor Este) indicate a recent increase in 

the AHWL. The hydrographs from the Del Sol, Montessa, and Nor Este piezometers generally 

indicate a steady decline in the AHWL over the period of record until a low was reached in 2007 for 

Nor Este and in 2009 for Montessa and Del Sol, after which time the AHWL has been increasing. In 

general, the hydrographs from the Garfield and Matheson piezometers indicate no consistent trend 

in the AHWL through the period of record until 2009, after which time the AHWL has 

been increasing. 

Hydrographs from piezometers in the northwest area (Lincoln, Sierra Vista, and West Bluff) 

indicate spatial variability in water-level-altitude trends. The hydrograph from the Lincoln 

piezometer, the northernmost piezometer, shows a steady decline in the AHWL for the period of 

record through 2012. The hydrograph from the Sierra Vista piezometer indicates a steady decline in 

the AHWL through the period of record until 2008, when the AHWL started to increase. The 

hydrograph from the West Bluff piezometer indicated no consistent trend in the AHWL through the 

period of record until approximately 2008, when the AHWL started to increase. The hydrographs 

from Sierra Vista and West Bluff piezometers indicate a recent maximum AHWL in 2011 with a 

decline in the AHWL starting in 2012. The hydrograph from the Westgate piezometer, located in the 

southwest part of the study area, indicates an increase in the AHWL for the period of record except 

for 2005 and 2008. 

Groundwater Flow and Drawdown

The 2012 potentiometric surface indicates that the general direction of groundwater flow is 

from the Rio Grande towards clusters of supply wells in the east, north, and west (fig. 1). Prior to 

development, groundwater in the mapped area generally flowed from north-northeast to 

south-southwest (Bexfield and Anderholm, 2000). 

 Drawdown from predevelopment to 2012 is variable across the Albuquerque metropolitan 

area (fig. 1). Drawdown is smallest in the southwest part of the study area, where groundwater 

withdrawals are minimal, and along the Rio Grande, where recharge from the river is occurring. 

Drawdown is largest along the east margin of the study area (decline of more than 120 ft) and in the 

northwest (decline of more than 60 ft). Drawdown along the east margin of the study area is likely 

amplified by the proximity of clusters of supply wells to basin-bounding faults that are the boundary 

between the large thickness of the basin-fill sediments (which are higher permeability) and the 

reduced thickness of the sediments overlying bedrock along the margin of the basin (Connell, 2006). 

Drawdown along the river north of the Sierra Vista piezometer likely results from groundwater 

withdrawals in the north and propagation of drawdown outward from clusters of supply wells. 

Drawdown in the west and northwest parts of the basin is likely a result of pumping stresses; 

however, faulting and the resulting juxtaposition of lithologic units with different hydrologic 

properties likely increase the drawdown as a result of withdrawals (Heywood and others, 2002; 

McAda and Barroll, 2002). The estimated potentiometric surface northeast of the Lincoln 

piezometer likely represents the maximum altitude of the potentiometric surface for 2012 because 

water-level measurements were not available for Rio Rancho well 21 in this area, for which 

substantial drawdown had been previously estimated (Falk and others, 2011). The current estimated 

drawdown likely represents a minimum amount of drawdown in this area for 2012.

 Estimated drawdown from 2008 (Falk and others, 2011) to 2012 was spatially variable 

across the Albuquerque metropolitan area. The potentiometric surface in the east part of the 

Albuquerque metropolitan area has increased compared to the 2008 potentiometric surface (fig. 1 

and Falk and others, 2011), which is in accord with hydrographs from piezometers located near this 

area (Del Sol, Matheson, Montessa, and Nor Este; fig. 2). The potentiometric surface in the 

northwest part of the Albuquerque metropolitan area west of the Rio Grande, which is coincident 

with clusters of supply wells, continued to decline from 2008 to 2012 (fig. 1 and Falk and others, 

2011), which is in accord with the hydrographs from the piezometers located in the area

(Lincoln; fig. 2). Water-level altitudes northeast of the Lincoln piezometer likely have increased 

since 2008 as the result of decreased pumping from Rio Rancho well 21 (supply well data obtained 

from the State of New Mexico Water Rights Reporting System database at 

http://nmwrrs.ose.state.nm.us/index.html); however, the amount of change in the water-level 

altitudes is uncertain because of the lack of data. The potentiometric surface along the Rio Grande 

south of Sierra Vista indicates small declines from 2008 to 2012 (fig. 1 and Falk and others, 2011); 

however, water-level altitudes along the Rio Grande north of Sierra Vista indicate continued 

declines from 2008 to 2012 (Lincoln; fig. 2). Some of the differences in mapped groundwater 

conditions from 2008 (Falk and others, 2011) to 2012 (fig. 1) may be the result of mapping 

techniques and changes in the availability of water-level-altitude data.

Acknowledgments

The authors thank John Stomp and Katherine Yuhas of the ABCWUA for guidance and support 

of this investigation to improve understanding of the water resources of the Albuquerque 

metropolitan area. Mick Jakymiw and Steve Gallegos with the City of Rio Rancho Department of 

Public Works Utilities Operation Division provided water-level-altitude data for supply and 

monitoring wells. Daniel Garcia, Bagher Dayyani, and Daniel Eaton with the ABCWUA provided 

assistance with access to wells. Mark Dalzell with KAFB provided water-level-altitude data for the 

supply wells at KAFB. Michael Skelly and Sherry Ricketson with SNL provided water-levelaltitude data for monitoring wells located at KAFB. 

The authors thank Joseph Beman of the USGS for collecting measurements of water-level 

altitudes in the ABCWUA supply wells and the USGS piezometers.

References

Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority (ABCWUA), 2007, Water resources management strategy—October 2007, 

overview, policies, and strategy for use of existing supplies: Albuquerque, N.M., Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility 

Authority, 25 p., with appendix: Accessed March 31, 2014, at 

http://www.abcwua.org/uploads/files/Your%20Drinking%20Water/WRMS_Update_101207.pdf.

Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority (ABCWUA), 2009, The San Juan-Chama Drinking Water Project—One year 

anniversary: Albuquerque, N.M., Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority, 7 p.

Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority (ABCWUA), 2013, Conservation and rebates—Overview: Accessed July 27, 

2013, at http://abcwua.org/Conservation_and_Rebates.aspx.

Beman, J.E., 2013, Water-level data for the Albuquerque Basin and adjacent areas, central New Mexico, period of record through 

September 30, 2012: U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 790, 32 p.

Bexfield, L.M., and Anderholm, S.K., 2000, Predevelopment water-level map of the Santa Fe Group aquifer system in the Middle Rio 

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Figure 1.—Estimated 2012 potentiometric surface and drawdown, predevelopment to 2012, Albuquerque metropolitan area, central New Mexico.

WY 97 WY 98 WY 99 WY 00 WY 01 WY 02 WY 03 WY 04 WY 05 WY 06 WY 07 WY 08 WY 09 WY 10 WY 11 WY 12

Water-level altitude, in feet above NGVD 29 

4,910

4,915

4,920

4,925

4,930

Nor Este

351114106330602

WY 97 WY 98 WY 99 WY 00 WY 01 WY 02 WY 03 WY 04 WY 05 WY 06 WY 07 WY 08 WY 09 WY 10 WY 11 WY 12

Montessa

350056106370102

Water-level altitude, in feet above NGVD 29 

4,870

4,875

4,880

4,885

4,890

WY 97 WY 98 WY 99 WY 00 WY 01 WY 02 WY 03 WY 04 WY 05 WY 06 WY 07 WY 08 WY 09 WY 10 WY 11 WY 12

Del Sol

350534106354702

Water-level altitude, in feet above NGVD 29 

4,845

4,850

4,855

4,860

4,865

4,870

4,875

4,880

WY 97 WY 98 WY 99 WY 00 WY 01 WY 02 WY 03 WY 04 WY 05 WY 06 WY 07 WY 08 WY 09 WY 10 WY 11 WY 12

Garfield

350706106390302

Water-level altitude, in feet above NGVD 29 

4,905

4,910

4,915

4,920

4,925

WY 97 WY 98 WY 99 WY 00 WY 01 WY 02 WY 03 WY 04 WY 05 WY 06 WY 07 WY 08 WY 09 WY 10 WY 11 WY 12

West Bluff

350638106413702 Water-level altitude, in feet above NGVD 29 

4,910

4,915

4,920

4,925

4,930

4,935

4,940

4,945

4,950

4,955

WY 97 WY 98 WY 99 WY 00 WY 01 WY 02 WY 03 WY 04 WY 05 WY 06 WY 07 WY 08 WY 09 WY 10 WY 11 WY 12

Lincoln

351515106410402

Water-level altitude, in feet above NGVD 29 

4,935

4,940

4,945

4,950

4,955

4,960

WY 97 WY 98 WY 99 WY 00 WY 01 WY 02 WY 03 WY 04 WY 05 WY 06 WY 07 WY 08 WY 09 WY 10 WY 11 WY 12

Sierra Vista

350910106414802 

4,945

4,950

4,955

4,960

Water-level altitude, in feet above NGVD 29 Water-level altitude, in feet above NGVD 29 

WY 97 WY 98 WY 99 WY 00 WY 01 WY 02 WY 03 WY 04 WY 05 WY 06 WY 07 WY 08 WY 09 WY 10 WY 11 WY 12

Westgate

350244106450202

4,885

4,890

4,895

4,900

4,905

4,910

4,915

WY 97 WY 98 WY 99 WY 00 WY 01 WY 02 WY 03 WY 04 WY 05 WY 06 WY 07 WY 08 WY 09 WY 10 WY 11 WY 12

Matheson

350653106311602

Water-level altitude, in feet above NGVD 29 

4,845

4,850

4,855

4,860

4,865

4,870

Figure 2. Hydrographs from selected piezometers in wells in the Albuquerque metropolitan area, central New Mexico 

(locations shown on fig. 1), for the period of record.

EXPLANATION 

Daily mean water-level altitude, in feet above NGVD 29

Altitude of the annual highest water level, in feet above National Geodetic Vertical Datum

 of 1929 (NGVD 29)

U.S. Geological Survey site identifier is shown with piezometer nest name

WY, water year