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OverviewAbout Water at LANLLANL's water quality programs support the mission and core competencies of the Laboratory and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) by providing institutional expertise and implementation assistance to Laboratory line organizations regarding compliance with applicable water quality laws and regulations and DOE Orders. The programs promote and implement activities that continuously protect human health and the environment and protect and improve water quality and water resources management at the Laboratory. LANL's water quality compliance and monitoring activities include:
The Laboratory and the associated residential and commercial areas of Los Alamos and White Rock are located in Los Alamos County, in north-central New Mexico. The 43-square-mile Laboratory is situated on the Pajarito Plateau, which consists of a series of finger-like mesas separated by deep east-to-west oriented canyons cut by intermittent streams. Mesa tops range in elevation from approximately 7,800 feet on the flanks of the Jemez Mountains to about 6,200 feet above the Rio Grande Canyon. Surface water in the Los Alamos area occurs primarily as short-lived or intermittent reaches of streams. Perennial springs on the flanks of the Jemez Mountains supply base flow into upper reaches of some canyons, but the volume is insufficient to maintain surface flows across the Laboratory site before they are depleted by evaporation, transpiration, and infiltration. Groundwater in the Los Alamos area occurs in three modes:
The regional aquifer of the Los Alamos area is the only aquifer in the area capable of serving as a municipal water supply. The source of most recharge to the aquifer appears to be infiltration of precipitation that falls on the Jemez Mountains. The regional aquifer discharges into the Rio Grande through springs in White Rock Canyon. |
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