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OCt6 J EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Albuquerque Basin in central New Mexico covers an area of about 3,060 square miles. The Albuquerque area, about 410 square miles, is the major population center in the basin and included about 502,000 people in 1990, 89 percent of the basin population. Ground water is the principal source of water for municipal, domestic, commercial, and industrial uses in the basin. In 1994,92 percent of the ground"water withdrawn in the basin was pumped from wells in the Albuquerque area, 72 percent of that pumped by the City of Albuquerque. The aquifer system in the Albuquerque Basin is composed of valley and basin"fill deposits. The aquifer system is hydraulically connected to the Rio Grande and to a system of canals and drains through the alluvium in the Rio Grande inner valley. Management of ground water in the Albuquerque Basin is related to the surface water in the Rio Grande. Because the aquifer system is hydraulically connected to the Rio Grande and water in the river is fully appropriated, any reduction in flow of the river caused by ground;- water withdrawal must be offset by owning water rights on the river or by returning water to the river. The current method of estimating the reduction of flow in the Rio Grande from ground- water withdrawal is based on simplifying assumptions that typically result in an overestimation of this reduction. Because demands on the ground-water resources of the Albuquerque area are increasing and water levels are declining, this overestimation serves to dedicate water to the river that could otherwise be used to reduce stress on the aquifer system. Therefore, the ability to reliably estimate the effects of grounlf.-water withdrawals on flow in the Rio Grande is important to the overall management of water resources in the Albuquerque area. The purpose of this report is to (1) describe the components of the Rio Grande/Santa Fe Group aquifer system in the Albuquerque area and the data availability and data and. interpretation needs relating to those components; and (2) present a plan of study to improve the understanding of and quantify hydrologic relations between the river and the aquifer system. Because about 92 percent of the ground water withdrawn in the Albuquerque Basin is pumped from wells in the Albuquerque area, the Albuquerque area is the focus of this report. The City of Albuquerque has contributed substantially in developing the current base of geohydrologic information about the Albuquerque Basin, including much of what is known about the hydrologic interaction between the Rio Grande and the Santa Fe Group aquifer system. Much of this information has been gained through the City'S test-well drilling program and through cooperative investigations programs with the New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources, U.S. Geological Survey, and Bureau of Reclamation. Descriptions of the components of the river/aquifer system and data availability and needs related to these components are divided into two sections in the report. The "Physical and hydraulic characteristics of system components" section describes components that control the movement of water through the river/aquifer system. These include the physical and hydraulic characteristics of the Rio Grande, canals, drains, aquifer sediments, hydraulic heads, and aquifer storage. The "Flow characteristics of system components" section describes components that recharge water to or discharge water from the aquifer system,. and the estimated magnitude of each component in the Albuquerque area. These components include ground"water withdrawal; Santa Fe Group aquifer system; Rio Grande, canal, and drain seepage; basin margin and tributary recharge; riparian and wetland evapotranspiration; irrigation seepage; and septic" field seepage. . To prioritize the study elements outlined in the "Plan of study" section, the information needs related to the components of the river/ aquifer system are prioritized. Information that is necessary to improve the understanding or quantification of a component and the river /aquifer system is prioritized as essential. Information that could add additional understanding of the vi