All lectures are free and open to the public. Most lectures will be in Dane Smith Hall, Building #48 on the campus map. The map (Acrobat PDF) may be downloaded by clicking here. Rooms numbers will vary, so please check the individual listings below. Parking is available in the parking structure near the intersection of Stanford and Redondo.
How will the requirements of the Rio Grande Compact affect life in the Middle Rio Grande in this water-short year?
What: Rio Grande Compact Forum
Where: Science and Technology Park Rotunda at the University of New Mexico, 801 University Boulevard SE, Albuquerque, NM
Cost: Free
Sponsored by: Middle Rio Grande Water Assembly, UNM Water Resources Program and the New Mexico Water Dialogue
The winter of 2005-2006 was one of the driest on record in the desert southwest. With little or no snowpack in the watersheds of the Rio Grande, a seriously inadequate runoff is expected. How will New Mexico's most populated region fare in the year ahead? What governs the sharing of scarce water in a time of crippling drought? On Wednesday, April 26, 2006, the Middle Rio Grande Water Assembly, the University of New Mexico Water Resources Program and the New Mexico Water Dialogue will sponsor a free public forum on the Rio Grande Compact, the interstate agreement that determines the amount of river water that Colorado, New Mexico and Texas will receive over the coming months. The forum will be held in the Rotunda at the Science and Technology Park at the University of New Mexico, 801 University Boulevard SE, Albuquerque, NM from 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm.
New Mexico is party to eight interstate compacts that govern surface water flowing across its borders. One of those agreements, the Rio Grande Compact, guarantees a portion of the annual flow of the Rio Grande to Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas, and establishes a limit on the amount of water we may use in the middle basin.
The Interstate Stream Commission, which oversees New Mexico's compact compliance, is ultimately responsible for the distribution of a very limited water supply to a myriad of middle basin water users, with consideration for a host of federal, state and local mandates. How will that huge task be accomplished in 2006?
Featured speakers include Estevan López, Director of the Interstate Stream Commission, who will offer an overall outline of Compact issues, and ISC Rio Grande Basin Manager Rolf Schmidt-Petersen, will address the specific requirements for 2006. Through questions and public discussion, learn why the Rio Grande Compact is important to you, and how this year's drought-driven decisions affect all basin residents.
For further information, contact Ed Payne, 797-4306 or visit the Water Assembly's website at www.WaterAssembly.org.
Master of Water Resources graduate
Abstract
Using the Powersim software platform, a dynamic systems model was built to explore the surface water supply in the Middle Rio Grande in New Mexico from Cochiti Dam to Elephant Butte Dam. A number of similar models exist but do not include a spatial component and/or attempt to model terms with a great deal of uncertainty, such as riparian evapotranspiration, ungaged tributary inflow, and effective precipitation. This model simulates the Middle Rio Grande in six reaches, extending from Cochiti Dam to Elephant Butte Dam, a distance of approximately 175 miles. Ungaged tributary inflow and effective precipitation are successfully included through the use of an ArcGIS-based hydrologic analysis and precipitation profiles built with paleoprecipitation reconstructions for New Mexico over the last 1000 years. The simulation results are compared to gaged river flows over the past 50 years through a probabilistic distribution analysis. Generally, probabilistic analysis indicates the model may be optimistic in its estimation of river flows, although not in the year to year variability of those flows. Thus, either the inflows are overestimated by the model relative to the last 50 years, or the outflows are underestimated, or a combination of both. Alternatively, the model seems to represents the last 50 years fairly well in the upper reaches, but has difficulty in the lower reaches. Nevertheless, the model can provide useful information when comparing simulation results to each other. Year to year variability is very high and clearly maintained from gage to gage. Not surprisingly, the very dry climate is the "worst" climate scenario, with a lowest average flow at San Marcial of 691 cfs. The "best" scenario was the moderately wet and consistent climate with an average flow of 1053 cfs at San Marcial. When considering compliance with the Rio Grande Compact, the average consistent climate was the worst, generating 38 years of accrued debit status and 18 years of annual debits. In addition to these analyses, the simulation results revealed the effects of the price of water by using an economic demand equation. A "conservation" price path was designed to meet Albuquerque's goals of 150 gpcd by 2014 and 130 gpcd by 2040. This path and a 2.5 percent annual increase price path caused immediate reductions in the total demand volume and reductions in the San Juan-Chama diversion by 2014. However, the conservation price path led to a rebound in the diversion, with full diversion again occurring by 2038 even though per capita use was only 132 gpcd. The 2.5 percent price path began to rebound in 2032 when per capita use reached the imposed lower limit of 75 gpcd. More moderate price increases of 1.25 percent and 1.5 percent reduced the San Juan-Chama diversion in 2042 and 2030, respectively. No rebound occurred and per capita use reached a low of 75 gpcd and 101 gpcd by 2053. The 1.5 percent or 2.5 percent annual price increases converged in 2053 at a maximum reduction of the San Juan-Chama diversion at almost 62,000 AF per year, with per capita use of 75 gpcd. While reduction of the San Juan-Chama diversion led to increases in the flow at the Albuquerque gage, declines in per capita use resulted in decreases at the Bernardo gage, caused by declines in wastewater return flows in that reach. The simulated drop in the Bernardo gage flow was small, less than an annual average of 45 cfs at its maximum. Although the model produced simulation results with a "wetter" distribution than the past 50 years, it provides a platform for exploring the relative impact of management alternatives. Interestingly, the averages are not as far apart as the probabilistic distribution. Thus, "average" flows should not be used to describe the Middle Rio Grande because such characterization may misrepresent future climates and river flows.
The entire publication is available here.
Abstract
The Water Resources Management Strategy includes full use of existing renewable supplies to meet current and future demands while preserving and protecting the aquifer. This presenation will discuss water resources management for the Authority and implementation of the projects to attempt to achieve sustainability. The presentation will address water conservation, reuse and recycling, transition to the San Juan-Chama water for drinking water purposes and aquifer storage and recovery.
The Running Dry project (www.runningdry.org) has been designed as a massive comprehensive public information/education program on the global humanitarian water crisis. A documentary of the same name has been produced and is the centerpiece of the overall education project.
Presentations of the documentary are currently taking place at international venues in conjunction with in-depth discussions of the crisis for the purpose of educating policy makers, educators, students, and the general public.
Actress Jane Seymour, the documentary narrator, and many other notable and knowledgeable individuals have come together to participate in the public information/education process. In addition, educators are also designing ways for the documentary to be utilized within academic curricula.
UNM is proud to present this groundbreaking documentary, hosted by writer, producer, and director Jim Thebaut. The film (80 minutes) will be followed by a Q & A session with Jim and local water experts.
Location of Talk: Woodward Hall is Building 82 on the UNM campus map (www.unm.edu/campusmap05.pdf). Pay parking is available at the Parking Structure (Building 198) near the corner of Redondo and Stanford.