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Santa Fe staff outline long-term water-supply plan and San Juan–Chama reuse project
Summary
City staff told the Planning Commission that the water division is advancing a 5–year plan that models reduced future flows, studies reuse options including the San Juan–Chama Return Project, and will run 9–12 months of updated hydrology work with the Bureau of Reclamation.
Santa Fe water staff briefed the Planning Commission on Feb. 6, 2025, on a multi-year effort to align long-term water supply with land-use planning and climate projections. The presentation, given by a water division presenter standing in for Jesse Roach, Water Division Director, described ongoing modeling, community engagement and a proposed reuse project that would return treated San Juan–Chama water to the Buckman Direct Diversion intake under an indirect potable reuse approach.
The overview explained why the city is planning beyond short-term conservation: the presentation said hydrologic projections used in prior basin studies show possible flow declines by midcentury and that Santa Fe’s system has shifted since the 1950s from reliance on the Santa Fe River and unregulated well pumping to an integrated portfolio that includes Buckman Direct Diversion and deeper well fields. The presenter said conservation and reuse programs helped city demand fall about 25% even as population grew roughly 30% over several decades.
Why it matters: the water plan ties directly to land-use decisions because growth assumptions determine future demand. Staff said the plan will help the city and county evaluate whether planned development is compatible with projected supply, and it will provide criteria to weigh supply options — from more conservation to aquifer recharge or treated-reuse projects.
Key points from the presentation
- Water sources and system changes: staff described four primary supply sources historically used by Santa Fe (the Santa Fe River, a city wellfield developed during drought, expanded well fields in the Buckman area and the Buckman Direct Diversion brought online in 2011). The presenter said Buckman allowed the city to “shift from unsustainable groundwater pumping to more sustainable use of surface and groundwater.”
- San Juan–Chama Return Project: staff said the feasibility work funded under Title 16 grants led to a proposal known locally as the San Juan–Chama Return Project, which would treat wastewater and convey it back to the Buckman intake for indirect potable reuse. The presenter described the concept as “effectively up one pump and a pipe and bringing it back to the Buckman Direct Diversion to under the premise of indirect potable reuse.” Staff said the project is in permitting now and that the county is a project partner.
- Modeling and timetable: staff said the immediate task is updated supply-hydrology modeling with the Bureau of Reclamation and academic partners; they estimated about 9–12 months to complete the supply/hydrology work and then community engagement to develop values-based criteria (environmental, cultural, economic) to rank adaptation strategies.
- Options under consideration: staff listed a range of adaptation strategies the analysis will evaluate, including more aggressive outdoor-water conservation, aquifer recharge, direct potable reuse, well-field changes, and potential agreements to lease unused San Juan–Chama water from nearby water systems or pueblos as part of adaptation strategies.
Questions and next steps
Commissioner questions focused on timing and partnerships. A commissioner asked whether neighboring pueblos or regional systems could affect the city’s allotments; staff said the city is meeting with four pueblos to explore potential mutual aid or lease arrangements through the Pojoaque Regional Water System and to consider emergency interties. Staff said those conversations are conceptual and will be pursued through the planned community engagement process.
Staff will return with the hydrology results and a public outreach schedule; the presentation described upcoming public meetings to solicit values and priorities that will be used to evaluate supply alternatives.
Ending
Staff characterized the initiative as a multi-year, iterative planning process that will produce decision-grade hydrology modeling, public engagement on values, and a ranked set of adaptation strategies for the city and county to consider. The San Juan–Chama Return Project and other reuse/recharge options were presented as candidate supply actions being carried forward for technical review and permitting.
