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Utilities director reports 2024 water accounting, highlights storage, reuse and PoeWaque regional system plans
Summary
Deputy utilities director Travis Soderquist briefed the board on the county’s 2024 water deliveries, rights portfolio, capacity at Buckman Direct Diversion and future projects including the Poíwaque (Poway) Basin regional water interconnect and wastewater reuse options.
Deputy Utilities Director Travis Soderquist told the Board on Jan. 28 that Santa Fe County’s water supply program showed available capacity in 2024 but that planning is under way to address future demand and climate risks. The presentation summarized physical diversions, legal water rights, treated capacity at the Buckman Direct Diversion (BDD), and planned projects through 2040.
Soderquist said the county’s average deliveries in 2024 were roughly 1,365 acre‑feet potable and 272 acre‑feet nonpotable (1,637 acre‑feet total county‑right deliveries). He explained the county’s mix of native flow rights at the Rio Grande and San Juan–Chama Project storage rights that can carry over from year to year. The county holds entitlements at the BDD (native + acquired rights, plus developer-transferred parcels) and participates in two agreements with the City of Santa Fe — the 2016 Water Resources Agreement and a 2024 shared‑pool agreement — that govern how the partners use and price shared capacity.
Soderquist said county capacity at the BDD is well below permitted treatment capacity in 2024 but noted distribution system limits that constrain how much treated water can be delivered on any given day. He told the board the county holds about 367 acre‑feet of San Juan–Chama storage and additional arrangements with Albuquerque Bernalillo Water Utility Authority can provide storage in Abiquiu under lease agreements.
Looking ahead, Soderquist described three near‑term priorities: (1) the Poíwaque (Poway) Basin regional water system interconnect that will bring additional basin supply when completed, (2) reuse and aquifer‑storage/recovery opportunities at the Santa Fe County Water Reclamation Facility including bulk nonpotable supply options, and (3) a county water rate and cost‑of‑service study to update user charges after recent wheeling cost changes.
Board members asked for more detail in future briefings on storage options (Abiquiu/upper canyon reservoirs), the condition and usable life of storage dams, and the schedule and operating model for the Poíwaque Basin system, which Soderquist said is expected to provide additional volume in the early 2030s. Commissioner Justin Green asked staff to include the Poíwaque status in future reports; Soderquist and County Manager Schaefer agreed to provide more frequent updates so WPAC and the board can weigh in on policy and budgeting.
Ending: Soderquist said staff will audit prior water allocations to confirm which developer obligations remain active and to refine projected needs as part of county planning and the Santa Fe 21/100 modeling project; commissioners requested a follow‑up on storage options and a map of existing allocations and development timing.
