Getting Water Out of Rocks

Ground water is one of two sources of drinking water for the Albuquerque metro area, along with river water from the San Juan-Chama Drinking Water Project. Water beneath the Earth's surface is stored in and flows through dirt, sand, and porous, fractured rock. This sponge-like formation is referred to as an aquifer. The Albuquerque Aquifer extends from Cochiti at the north to Soccoro at the south and from Tijeras Canyon on the east to the Rio Puerco on the west. This aquifer is located in a region considered high desert with an average annual rainfall of less than 9 inches. Only eight to ten percent of precipitation penetrates the soil surface moving downward into the aquifer. Snow melt from mountains in Colorado and northern New Mexico provides most of the water in the aquifer by making its way to the Rio Grande, then penetrating the river bed to become part of the underground water system.

Water in the Desert

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