New Mexico Geological Society Annual Spring Meeting — Abstracts

With the ever growing need for water in the City of Albuquerque, much recent work has been conducted to characterize the physical characteristics of the Albuquerque Basin. Although knowledge of the permeability distribution an aquifer is vital to exploiting ground water resources, it is extremely important to the chemical processes related to the lithological and hydrological flow pattern of a hydrologic system. A three dimensional conceptual model of the water quality distribution in the Albuquerque-Belen Basin was constructed by utilizing (1) a previous hydrogeological characterization of the basin (Hawley and Haase, 1992), (2) water quality data for City of Albuquerque municipal wells, and (3) basic hydrogeochemical principles. Chemical analyses were plotted on six cross-sections of the basin, the defined by Hawley and Haase (1992), which led to the following conclusion:

* Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) increase from north to south on the eastern side of the basin
* TDS decrease from the basin edges toward the Rio Grande
* Groundwater in the western basin tends to be high in sodium and sulfate, yet relatively soft and low in alkalinity
* Groundwater in the eastern basin is relatively hard yet low in sodium and sulfate

* The northwest portion of the City of Albuquerque may have a higher water quality and greater supply than previously believed
* Water chemistry patterns suggest much more complex flow patterns than previously thought
* Groundwater quality does not always decrease with depth in the AlbuquerqueI Basin
* Aquifer permeability and rock type may be the dominant factors in determining water quality in the basin

This model differs from earlier versions (Romero, 1994) in that isotopic data was incorporated to examine the relative residence times of water in certain portions of the Albuquerque Basin. This model may prove valuable to the City of Albuquerque in its future efforts to manage and develop the basin's ground water resources.