Bernalillo County
Water Conservation Plan

Bernalillo County has developed a Water Conservation Plan in order to be good stewards of a scarce resource, and thus a limiting factor for the County. Bernalillo County is in the middle of a rapidly growing region, and in order to maintain quality of life and economic activity, a sustainable water supply will be needed, for which planning and a change in use patterns (behavior) is required. The urgency of the need for conserving water is clear - New Mexico is in the midst of a probable long-term drought and water is over-allocated in the Middle Rio Grande region and state-wide. The bulk of water in unincorporated Bernalillo County is supplied by ground water, a non-renewable resource. The surface water that is used, the supply of which fluctuates according to the weather, is used for agriculture and outdoor use. Some County residents (Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority [ABCWUA] customers only) will likely be supplied by surface water in the future through the ABCWUA San Juan Chama water.

Water conservation is the cheapest way to prolong and help preserve affordable water for generations to come. To be good stewards and lengthen the period of years that water is available, the County should conserve water in its facilities, model conservative use of water, work closely with all residents, businesses, and water suppliers in unincorporated and incorporated parts of the County to promote conservation, and work with other governmental jurisdictions in the region to effectively manage water resources. In addition, the County should take a broad perspective on conservation by incorporating cumulative impacts, land use planning, and comprehensive plans into water resource management. Bernalillo County can convey the benefits of water conservation to utilities by reducing the need for increased water supply and/or water rights, decreasing operation and maintenance costs, and deferring or eliminating new facilities. Benefits to residents and businesses include decreased energy, water, and wastewater bills and decreased landscaping maintenance costs.

To this end, Bernalillo County set the following initial goals for the Water Conservation Plan and its implementation:

•  Evaluate current water usage
  
•  Evaluate mandatory, voluntary, and other conservation measures for Water Conservation Plan
  
•  Determine resource levels for water conservation program
  
•  Determine sources of funding for water conservation program
  
•  Develop priorities
  
•  Set measurement goals and criteria
  
•  Improve baseline information on County water usage and update annually
  
•  Gather information on domestic well permits and domestic well usage on an ongoing basis
  
•  Gradually develop appropriate ordinance(s) from the Water Conservation Plan
  

 View Complete Water Conservation Plan
Appendices For Water Conservation Plan
ABCWUA
CABQ Water Conservation