U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY MIDDLE RIO GRANDE BASIN STUDY--
    PROCEEDINGS OF THE FIRST ANNUAL WORKSHOP, DENVER, COLORADO
                     NOVEMBER 12-14, 1996  

                  BY JAMES R. BARTOLINO, EDITOR 

                            
                           ABSTRACT 

     Approximately 40 percent (about 600,000 people) of the total 
population of New Mexico lives within the Middle Rio Grande Basin,
which includes the City of Albuquerque. Ongoing analyses 
of the central portion of the Middle Rio Grande Basin by the U.S. 
Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the City of 
Albuquerque and other cooperators have shown that ground water in 
the basin is not as readily accessible as earlier studies 
indicated. A more complete characterization of the ground-water 
resources of the entire Middle Rio Grande Basin is hampered by a 
scarcity of data in the northern and southern areas of the basin.

     The USGS Middle Rio Grande Basin Study is a 5-year effort by 
the USGS and other agencies to improve the understanding of the 
hydrology, geology, and land-surface characteristics of the Middle 
Rio Grande Basin. The primary objective of this study is to improve 
the understanding of the water resources of the basin. Of 
particular interest is to determine the extent of hydrologic 
connection between the Rio Grande and the Santa Fe Group aquifer. 
Additionally, ground-water quality affects the availability of 
water supplies in the basin. Improving the existing USGS-
constructed ground-water flow model of the Middle Rio Grande Basin 
will integrate all the various tasks that improve our knowledge of 
the various components of the Middle Rio Grande water budget. Part 
of this improvement will be accompanied by extended knowledge of 
the aquifer system beyond the Albuquerque area into the northern 
and southern reaches of the basin. Other improvements will be based 
on understanding gained through process-oriented research and 
improved geologic characterization of the deposits. The USGS will 
study the hydrology, geology, and land-surface characteristics of 
the basin to provide the scientific information needed for water- 
resources management and for managers to plan for water supplies 
needed for a growing population. 

     To facilitate exchange of information among the many USGS 
scientists working in the Middle Rio Grande Basin, yearly technical 
meetings are planned for the anticipated 5-year study. These 
meetings provide an opportunity to present research results and 
plan new field efforts. This report documents the results of 
research presented at the first technical workshop held in Denver, 
Colorado, in November 1996.

     The report is organized into this introduction, five chapters 
that focus on USGS investigations in progress in the Middle Rio 
Grande Basin, and three appendixes with supplemental information. 
The first chapter provides an overview of the USGS program in the 
basin. The second chapter describes geographic data and analysis 
efforts in the basin. The third chapter details work being done on 
the hydrogeologic framework of the basin. The fourth chapter 
describes studies on ground-water availability in the basin and is 
divided into three areas of research: ground-water/surface-water 
interaction, ground-water flow and aquifer properties, and 
recharge. The fifth chapter is devoted to an overview of New Mexico 
District Cooperative Program studies in the basin. Finally, the 
appendixes list publications and presentations made during the 
first year of the study and 1996 workshop attendees. The report 
concludes with a list of selected references relevant to the study.

     The information in this report presents preliminary results of 
an evolving study. As the study progresses and individual projects 
publish their results in more detail, the USGS hopes to expand the 
scientific basis needed for management decisions regarding the 
Middle Rio Grande Basin.

Abstract from Open-File Report 97-116