New Mexico Geological Society Annual Spring Meeting — Abstracts

Increasing demand on limited potable ground-water supplies in New Mexico has stimulated interest in the use of saline ground-water resources. Saline water contains dissolved solid concentrations equal to or greater than 1,000 milligrams per liter. Saline ground water can be used to augment potable water supplies after being treated to reduce concentrations of dissolved solids. Aquifers in the Albuquerque basin, San Juan Basin, Roswell Basin, Capitan Reef, Estancia Basin, and the Tularosa/Salt Basin contain substantial amounts of saline ground water. The feasibility of using saline ground water from these aquifers will be influenced by the hydraulic characteristics of the aquifers, the amount of saline water stored in the aquifers, the pumping depths of saline ground water within the aquifers, the rates of recharge to the aquifers, and the characteristics of regional and local saline-ground-water flow systems.