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Abiquiu Reservoir, April 2013
The Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority is preparing to begin releasing water from Abiquiu Reservoir later this week, possibly as early as tomorrow (Tues. 4/9/13), propping up river flows as the river declines in this year of drought.
In all, the Utility will be moving 10,000 acre feet to Elephant Butte. It’s water the utility is required to move, a payback for water depleted from the river by the utility’s groundwater pumping. Usually, the water is moved in the dead of winter, to reduce evaporation losses. Moving it now instead will cost some evaporation, but will prop up river flows when it’s needed most. The administrative move is one of the actions coming out of a group of water managers from local, state and federal agencies who have been scrambling to stretch their limited supplies to meet farm and city needs will also keeping some water in the river for nature.
I’ll have more in tomorrow’s newspaper.
Reprint story -- Email the reporter at jfleck@abqjournal.com. Call the reporter at 505-823-3916
