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Our Water, Our Future The City's Water Plan & the Rio Grande: Critical Choices |
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The City of Albuquerque's Water Plan to begin diverting San Juan / Chama water for municipal use has serious implications for the health and well-being of the Rio Grande. The most significant impact will result from the City's plan to withdraw twice their allotment of water upstream of downtown Albuquerque. Return flows from the City's wastewater treatment facility would not re-enter the Rio until 14 miles downstream, in the South Valley, leaving an already stressed stretch of river with less water than normal. While concerns about the depletion of Albuquerque's current water source, the underground aquifer, are justified, the water plan currently proposed by the City seeks to avoid one disaster while creating another. A truly "sustainable" water plan should also sustain the Rio Grande. Hard questions need to be asked; hard choices need to be made: What value has been given to the Rio Grande when comparing the options and costs of the City's water project to the cost of further harming the Rio Grande |
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and its already fragile eco-system? Are there "river-friendly" alternatives to the current proposed options that should be more seriously considered? Can we more responsibility and effectively conserve water? Though the City's conservation efforts have reduced total water use to 209 gallons/person/day, Albuquerque still remains among the highest water consumers in the West, along with Phoenix and Denver. In contrast, comparable municipalities, such as El Paso and Tucson, have achieved a per capita daily usage of 159 gallons. Though referred to as a "drinking water" project, the City's own figures indicate that 40% of Albuquerque's water is applied to turf. Is the continued maintenance of high-water use lawns and golf courses worth the life of a river? What does "sustainable" really mean? Are we sustaining a water-wasting lifestyle at the expense of the Rio Grande? How do we, as a community, come to terms with the realities of a limited water supply? Will we consider the water needs of the Rio Grande as part of the balance of uses? What choices are we willing to make to preserve our river? |
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Contact Mayor Baca to express your concerns about the river Email: Mayor@cabq.org Fax: (505)768-3019 Letter: The Honorable Jim Baca PO Box 1293 Albuquerque, NM 87103 Contact your City Council member Call (505)763-3100 to leave a message or to obtain an email address. If you don't know who your council member is, call the above number and ask! Become a River Advocate Contact Rio Grande Restoration for further information at (505)266-3609 For additional information or to become more actively involved, call: Rio Grande Restoration, 266-3609 |
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River |
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Albuquerque City Water Plan |
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WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR THE RIO GRANDE |
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Photo by Basia Irland, 2000 |