Our Land: Wells Going Dry In The East Mountains

October 13, 2017 – This month on “Our Land: New Mexico’s Environmental Past, Present and Future,” we take a trip over the Sandia Mountains to learn about what’s happening with groundwater levels in places like Sandia Park and Edgewood.

In recent years, more and more people have seen their domestic wells dry up. Some people drill deeper wells, while others pay to haul water or try to hook into the local water utility.

Issues of water will only become more important in the coming years, as the climate continues warming, and new developments demand more water. One important key to tackling the problems of water scarcity is understanding the aquifer itself—and what’s happening below the ground.

For more information:

Bernalillo County Water Level Monitoring Project:
http://www.bernco.gov/uploads/FileLinks/5f25299d44114c5c970be6774be2e91d/BC_Water_Level_Monitoring_Project_Flyer.pdf

Dry groundwater wells in the western United States, by D. Perrone and S. Jasechko: http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aa8ac0/pdf