Hydrogeologic framework and delineation of transient areas contributing recharge and zones of contribution to selected wells in the upper Santa Fe Group aquifer, southeastern Albuquerque, New Mexico, 1900–2050

Abstract

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Utilizing multiple hydrogeologic and anthropogenic indicators to understand zones of groundwater contribution to water-supply wells near Kirtland Air Force Base Bulk Fuels Facility in southeast Albuquerque, New Mexico

“…The clay and silt-clay units will be referred to in this paper as "A1" and "A2," and the top of each unit is located at approximately 356 and 249 m bls, respectively (fig. 2; Myers and Friesz, 2019). Note that the tops of A1 and A2 vary by approximately 10 m in the study area.…”

“…Clasts in the conglomerate are typically limestone, sandstone, and granite (Connell, 2006), containing quartz, mica, plagioclase, and potassium feldspars (Plummer and others, 2012). These two layers are present throughout the study area and generally act as confining units, separating the member into three water-bearing units-an unconfined aquifer and two confined or semiconfined aquifers (Myers and Friesz, 2019). The clay and silt-clay units will be referred to in this paper as "A1" and "A2," and the top of each unit is located at approximately 356 and 249 m bls, respectively (fig.…”

Potential effects of projected pumping scenarios on future water-table elevations near Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico

“…Prior to extensive groundwater pumping in the Albuquerque area that began in the 1960s, subsurface flow entered the basin from the north, and groundwater east of the Rio Grande in Albuquerque flowed from north to southsouthwest (Bexfield and Anderholm, 2002). After decades of groundwater pumping, the direction of groundwater flow near the KAFB BFF reversed flow from southwest to northeast (Powell and McKean, 2014;Rice and others, 2014;Myers and Friesz, 2019). By 2008, groundwater pumping had resulted in a decline of groundwater levels of 120 ft in southeast Albuquerque (Falk and others, 2011).…”

“…Specifically, the report documents simulations of three main scenarios that represent future groundwater pumping under low demand and high supply, medium demand and medium supply, and high demand and low supply projections. An existing groundwater-flow model that uses the USGS modular, transient, three-dimensional, finite-difference groundwater flow with localized grid refinement, version 2 (MODFLOW-LGR2) (Mehl and Hill, 2013) to iteratively couple a regional model of the Middle Rio Grande Basin (Bexfield and others, 2011) and a local-scale model of the area surrounding the EDB plume (Myers and Friesz, 2019) was selected to facilitate the simulation of the groundwater pumping scenarios. The report describes how scenario results were analyzed by extracting the water-table elevations at monitoring wells and the model cells that cover the extent of the EDB plume.…”

“…Recharge to the Santa Fe Group aquifer system in the basin occurs along stream channels, canals, and mountain fronts as well as from irrigation, septic fields, sewage systems, and subsurface groundwater inflow at the northern end of the basin (Myers and Friesz, 2019). Outflow from the Santa Fe Group aquifer system in the basin occurs through groundwater pumping, irrigation seepage to drains, riparian evapotranspiration, and subsurface groundwater outflow at the southern end of the basin.…”