Considering New Mexicos Brackish Water Resources New Mexico Bureau - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources

a research and service division of NM Tech

Stacy Timmons Aquifer Mapping Program Manager

Considering New Mexico’s Brackish Water Resources

August 2017

Brackish water:

It all relates to the geology

• Distribution of water

quality (spatially and vertically)

• Volume of brackish water
• Productivity of aquifer
• Connections between

aquifers

• Suitability for desalination
• Disposal locations

Previous work in NM

• 1. A lot of statewide work in 1960s and 1970s
• 2. 2004 – Brackish Water Task Force - developed priority regions for

further work

• 3. 2013 – NM Drought Task Force – Brackish Water Working Group

1 2 3

Statewide brackish water assessment

• Brackish Water Working Group

driven interests

• Funding from NMED – Drinking

Water Bureau – SWP

• Digitized and compiled legacy

water quality data – mostly drinking water wells from USGS, NMED and NMBGMR studies

https://geoinfo.nmt.edu/maps/

Statewide brackish water assessment

• Data are useful for regional trends,

but we lack data statewide to address detailed brackish water questions

• Region specific studies are needed,

and wells focused on brackish water

PI: Lewis Land-- Link to project page: goo.gl/Tq1yFX

Brackish Groundwater Assessment

• 1. Reconnaissance to compile existing data; then identify

and prioritize potential aquifers

• 2. Basic hydrogeologic data collection/interpretation to

characterize the nature and extent of the resource – boreholes, geophysics and water quality (with depth)

• 3. Hydrogeologic characterization and computer model –

assessment of impacts and feasibility study

• 4. Plant design and pilot project

Techniques available at NMBGMR/New Mexico Tech

• Hydrogeophysics for groundwater mapping

– Gravity – identify basin boundaries, faults – Transient ElectroMagnetics (TEM) and Magnetotellurics (MT) - characterize structures, depth, and water quality

• Environmental tracers toward groundwater residence time
• Collaborative Groundwater Monitoring Network
• M. Folsom, MS

Thesis 2016

Brackish water = overdraft account

“An overdraft is an extension of credit from a lending institution when an account reaches zero. An overdraft allows the individual to continue withdrawing money even if the account has no funds in it or not enough to cover the withdrawal.”

Heavy “fees” associated with using this water!

• In many areas, brackish water is not actively recharged

(GROUNDWATER MINING)

• EXPENSIVE challenges with inland desalination

– Water quality/treatment is different from sea water (high silica) – Waste disposal – Energy cost for pumping and treatment

• Potential impacts to fresh water or surface water

Looking ahead

• We WILL face harder droughts

ahead

• Conserve the limited fresh

water resources

• Prepare for supplementing with

brackish water

• Continue to improve regional

characterizations of our aquifers (fresh and brackish waters)