SANTA FE – Water managers in Santa Fe say expected low flows along the Rio Grande will likely force the temporary shutdown of diversions as early as this weekend.
Officials with the Buckman diversion project say the river’s flow is expected to drop rapidly once the last of the water stored for irrigation in the Middle Rio Grande Valley has been used.
Conditions at the Buckman diversion location north of Santa Fe will be monitored closely. If flows reach or go below 300 cubic feet per second, officials say diversions will be temporarily halted.
Aside from river diversions, Santa Fe also gets drinking water from wells and a treatment plant that accesses water from the Santa Fe watershed’s reservoirs. Officials say these other sources will continue to meet the city’s needs.
Since the Buckman diversion project came online in 2011 the wells have been rested and the aquifers have seen substantial recovery. Officials say they’re ready to fill the gap if surface water supplies aren’t available.
