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Officials explain reuse math, managed aquifer recharge and interconnect ideas for the return-flow pipeline
Summary
Staff laid out how capturing return flow could reduce net water 'calls'—using an example that would cut a 100-unit call to roughly 33 units—and discussed managed aquifer recharge at the Buckman Well Field and possible interconnects to neighboring basins.
In technical discussion following the presentation, Bill Schneider described how the pipeline would change how the city and county account for and reuse San Juan–Chama water. "If the pipeline comes online... instead of calling for a 100 units, as we're returning 66 of those units back to the Rio Grande below the intakes of the BDD, we're only calling for 33 units," Schneider said, explaining the immediate crediting and reuse concept.
Schneider also discussed managed aquifer recharge and potential tie-ins to the Buckman Well Field to store water underground for later use. He said the city and county are exploring interconnects that could allow water to move between basins and noted the broader Santa Fe 2100 planning effort to identify long-term adaptation strategies. Schneider added that the state is funding aquifer characterization work that could inform where recharge would be most effective.
