http://www.abcwua.org/San_Juan_Chama_Project.aspx http://www.abcwua.org/Enviornm
ID: 296767 • Letter: H
Question
http://www.abcwua.org/San_Juan_Chama_Project.aspx
http://www.abcwua.org/Enviornmental_Impact.aspx
http://www.abcwua.org/education/el_WSD_2.html
1. What implications might this have for a large city (over 500, 000 people plus adjoining metropolitain areas) especially since we fit definition of a “true” desert…..having both of the following attributes
2. Please describe what could happen to the water supply over time……
3. What does it give the City of Albuquerque protection for? Compare to the supply of our aquifer water?
4. What are the scientists doing to protect the endangered silvery minnow fish? (button 4) also in environment page)
Please mention:
Diversion dam:
5. Using a percentage, approximately how much water does the City of Albuquerque get from this project?
6. How much from the aquifer…beneath the city of Albuquerque & surrounding outskirts?
7. Do you think there might be concern that the Colorado River (does not flow through NM, and is river that San Juan drains into) which supplies water to 7 US states and Mexico might not be able to continue to supply all these areas with their water needs, increasing demands, growing cities? Most years the Colorado River never makes its way to the Gulf of California…Gulf of Baja any more due to current demand.
8. What sectors of the economy might be impacted by this potential lack of water?
9. Has ABCWUA done the bare minimum or better regarding water quality with their treatment processes & steps involved? (the environmental page has some info…..might need to search a little)
10. Please describe in detail some of the environmental-type measures that have taken place?
Now looking at the Map embedded in the slideshow (slide # 11) and also here: There is also a short description on the ABCWUA website and in the slideshow)
11. Please give a short, yet detailed route of how the water gets from the San Juan River to the City of Albuquerque, (flow on the map is predominantly from North to South, a little more west & East up North….top of map)Please mention/describe these main components & how they interact, what they are doing as part of the Project, how they are a unique feature, flow direction, etc:
San Juan River-
Rio Chama-
Heron Lake-
El Vado Lake-
Abiquiu Lake-
Rio Grande-
Cochiti Lake-
City of Albuquerque-
12. on what side of the Continental Divide is the San Juan River, West (flow towards Pacific Ocean) or East (flow towards the Gulf of Mexico)? West
13. on what side of the Continental Divide is the Chama River, West (flow towards Pacific Ocean) or East (flow towards the Gulf of Mexico)?
14. What does this mean the engineers needed to do to in order to get San Juan River water to the Chama River, what about the Continental Divide standing in between, separating river flows from one another?
15. Approximately how many people does this engineering feat serve, how many use the San Juan Chama water?
UAN CHAMA DRINKING WATER P Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority San Juan Chama Drinking Water Project COLORADO DIVERSIONS Bla 26 MILES OF TUNNELS Navajo CHAMA HERON San ju EL VADO RESERVOIR NEW ME XICO ABIQUiu RESERVOIR ESPANOLA COCHITI RESERVOIR KEY Component of the BOLD TYPE SanJuan-Chama Rivers -Diversion Tunnel ALBUQUERQUE Notes : - CommentsExplanation / Answer
Answer 1
For a large city, the implication of this is purely dependant on how the water from the Colorado river was used in their city. For the cities that depend heavily on underground aquifers, the use of surface water will help to cut off the need to draw from the aquifer. The particular aquifer which was used by Albuquerque drew more than twice the water that was naturally replenished and hence the use of surface water itself is a boon.
Understand that in major cities, even the irrigation water for golf courses and other green area is often purified and treated water which is actually not needed if the water is drawn from surfaces. What will save the project is if the industries stick to the EPA rules for water management- since purification and treatment of surficial water itself is rather tedious.
However, coming back to the question, the project causes negligible compromises to the nearby cities but does add to the overload that the Colorado river is subjected to.
The monitoring of the waste products added to the Colorado river by industries, will be taken seriously. On an environmental basis, the water project is in fact an added asset since it provides conservation of the Silvery Minnow fish and cares for preserving the natural habitat of the area along with its bird population and wildlife.
Answer 2:
The health of the Colorado river that feeds the Rio Grande watershed, is the answer to keep the San Juan Chama Project running successfully. As the aquifer itself is getting drained to the point of extinction, the fact that the surface area water can be used, is the sole reason for the aquifer to get replenished without compromising on the need of water by the population that depends on it.
At this point, there are a couple of problem areas that could take a toll on the water supply over time. A major problem is the groundwater depletion of the Colorado River basin itself. The rive itself is currently overused and during droughts, the river might just not have enough water to supply to the water project.
Answer 3:
The San Juan Chama Project protects the city of Albuquerque from a completely depleted aquifer and gives the aquifer enough rest time to replenish itself. At the same time, the gold courses and green lands are easily irrigated by the water that is diverted to the project. This in return helps from the expansion of desert on a minor scale.
Answer 4:
To protect the Silvery Minnow fishes, the scientists monitor the fishes along with their breeding patterns and their eggs every year in the month of May. Since the fish passage is built to diver the fishes in stream when the dam is raised, the fishes can be tagged electronically and their growth can be closely observed. The scientists also help with the conservation programmes and encourages young students and families to partake in outreach programmes, seminars and also help with on-site guided tours where visitors can learn about the water treatments and the necessary precautions used to help the Silvery Minnow to populate.
Apart from the on-ground services, the scientists carry out extensive research on the water quality, the percentage of toxic waste in the Rio Grande and the necessary preservation of the natural habitats of the fishes which includes keeping the river wet all year round.
Answer 5:
Since the establishment of the project, the city of Albuquerque gets around 21 percent of its water supply from the San Juan Chama Project which is believed to have grown to 50 percent in 2008 and is estimated to increase to 90 percent in the future!
Note: we are advised to answer only first 4 sub parts of the question. You can repost the question again with specific instruction to answer the next 4 questions.
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