You turn on the tap and run a bath for your kids, wash clothes, wash dishes, prepare meals, water your yard, take showers and flush toilets… with no worries about a safe and reliable future water supply. You know Las Cruces Utilities (LCU) provides this critical resource to approximately 100,000 residents now and is planning decades into the future to assure our water supplies.
In Las Cruces, our water is provided from LCU well fields tapped into two deep aquifers: the Mesilla Bolson and the Jornada Bolson. Most of the wells are drilled into the Mesilla Bolson, which runs alongside and is recharged by the Rio Grande River. The smaller Jornada Bolson is east of the city and is recharged only by rainwater that runs down from the mountains. With an average of 8-10 inches of rain per year in our region, the Jornada is much slower to recharge. LCU’s latest update to the 40-Year Water Plan looks at the Jornada Basin more as a drought reserve, rather than a primary source of water.
The 40-Year Plan is a requirement of the New Mexico State Engineer’s office; it is updated every five years by a consultant – John Shomaker & Associates, Inc. – in conjunction with LCU staff, and is reviewed and approved by the LCU Board of Commissioners. “It is important that the city takes a long-range view of the water supply,” explains LCU Board Chair, William Little, whose career as a professional hydrologist provided the perfect preparation for his appointment to the Board for the past 10 years.
“Looking down the road 40 years,” says Little, “the Plan includes developing alternative water supplies, being proactive in water conservation, and monitoring resources.” The 40-year Water Plan also casts a view toward limiting water waste, optimizing water use, preventing water supply pollution, and finding solutions for any contaminated groundwater.
“The LCU Board reviews the Plan as a draft, and is able to inject comments on issues,” adds Little. “The 40-plan lays out the challenges of our water supply, but also presents a menu of options to respond to those challenges,” said Little. “It gives us the tools to help shape policy for the future and to make sure that there is an adequate supply for citizens.”
“LCU makes sure that we have a long and measured view of where we are and where we want to be,” said Little. “The plan helps us develop a roadmap of how to get there.” The most recently updated version of the 40-Year Plan is posted on the City website and is available for everyone to read at: http://www.las-cruces.org/departments/utilities/water/resources.
Submitted by Las Cruces Utilities
You can reach Las Cruces Utilities at 528-3500 from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Las Cruces Utilities provides GAS – WATER – WASTEWATER – SOLID WASTE services to approximately 100,000 Las Cruces residents and businesses.