Santa Fe County to host Oct. 27 public meeting on water sources, stormwater and wildfire risks

Santa Fe County will hold a public meeting titled “Santa Fe Water: Today and Tomorrow” on Oct. 27 at Santa Fe County Chambers to explain where local water comes from, how the county manages stormwater and development-driven demand, and what residents can do to reduce risk, officials said on a county podcast.

Travis Soderquist, utilities division director for Santa Fe County, told the podcast that “it comes from the Rio Grande for the county, but there are agreements that we have with the City of Santa Fe where we can utilize some of their groundwater.” He said the presentation will address common questions about whether the county is allocating too much water to new developments and whether supplies are sufficient now and for the future.

“The first thing that popped in my head was I want the public to take away from this meeting that there's a lot of care and consideration that goes into determining how much water should be allocated to these developments,” Soderquist said, adding that allocation decisions are not made “a flick of the pen.”

Michael Carr, the county’s environmental compliance officer, described stormwater as rainfall runoff that moves through arroyos into local waterways and said it is both a potential resource and a pathway for pollution. “We can utilize stormwater, rainwater, for irrigation, for supporting urban canopy,” he said. Carr also warned that “if you're dumping trash in the arroyo ... that all gets washed down the drain” and can affect groundwater and downstream communities.

Carr discussed the county’s MS4 (municipal separate storm sewer system) program and reporting obligations. “Right now, MS4 permit ... that's something that we manage, and just submitted our annual report. That's overseen by the EPA,” he said, and added that recent state legislation is moving toward transferring primacy for Clean Water Act implementation to the New Mexico Environment Department, which would change which agency takes primary enforcement responsibility for certain stormwater programs.

Jacqueline Beam, Santa Fe County sustainability manager, urged nature-based approaches such as green stormwater infrastructure — “just a fancy way to say rain gardens” — that increase soil infiltration, conserve irrigation water and provide co-benefits including carbon sequestration and wildfire risk reduction. Beam cited the county’s risk assessments on wildfire and said the county faces significant wildfire exposure over the next 25 years unless management approaches change.

Andrew Hardin, a water planner in Growth Management, described partnerships with local communities and the Santa Fe Watershed Association. He said the watershed association intends to launch a cooperative watershed-management program to design restoration pilot projects and build local capacity across upper, middle and lower watershed areas.

County officials said resources, workshop materials and outreach information tied to the Oct. 27 meeting will be posted on the county website and distributed through communications channels. The meeting is intended as an opportunity for residents to ask questions directly of local experts about water sourcing, stormwater rules and local strategies for managing growth and climate risks.