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The recent series of Journal articles on the persistent drought stalking the Middle Rio Grande brings a welcome spotlight to the water issues facing our region. As Journal science writer John Fleck points out in his blog, we are in the third-driest “water year” on record.
The lack of moisture carries potentially dire consequences for wildlife and irrigators. But the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority is doing its part to mitigate the drought’s impact.
We are among the agencies cooperating to create engineered habitat for the endangered silvery minnow (mentioned in the March 5 Journal). We are also working with federal agencies to coordinate releases of surface water from upstream reservoirs to create optimal conditions for minnow spawning.
This in addition to the continued application of a Water Resources Management Strategy that anticipated the consequences of drought and which has emphasized conservation in ways yet to be adopted by other municipalities. We have reduced per capita usage from 250 gallons per person per day in the 1990s to 148 gallons per person per day last year, and met our long-term conservation goal of 150 gallons per person per day some three years ahead of schedule.
Meanwhile, our Southside Re-Use Program and our planned Aquifer Storage and Recovery program will allow us to use water even more efficiently moving forward and will continue to place us at the forefront water management innovation in this region.
Policy initiatives can accomplish only so much, of course.
We shall continue to rely on the efforts of our customers to use water efficiently and responsibly, especially in years as dry as this.
The recent declaration of a drought watch by the Water Authority’s governing board is intended as a solemn reminder that it’s not just dry, it’s a drought, and we should all be doing our part to save water. Readers are invited to visit www.itsadrought.com on the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority website for tips and information.
