New Mexico is taking steps to safeguard its water supply while providing for growing consumption needs. State officials have released a final feasibility study detailing an innovative approach to water conservation.
The Strategic Water Supply initiative, a cornerstone of the state’s 50-Year Water Action Plan, aims to lay the groundwork for transforming previously unusable brackish and produced water into valuable resources for industrial use while preserving freshwater for communities.
The feasibility study projects that New Mexico’s major rivers will experience up to 28% lower flow over the next five decades, contributing to an anticipated shortfall of 750,000 acre-feet — about 244 million gallons — in surface and groundwater supplies.
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However, the study also reveals a promising solution: treating just 1% of available brackish water resources annually could yield an estimated 10 million acre-feet of usable water.
Brackish groundwater, found in aquifers more than 2,500 feet below the surface, contains high levels of dissolved solids, making it unsuitable for drinking without treatment. Brackish water can also be produced because of oil and gas extraction, as companies pump water underground to shake loose natural gas reserves.
The plan would have treated brackish water serve as an alternative to freshwater for new industrial demands. Advanced manufacturing facilities, including those producing solar panels and electric vehicles, could each save up to 3.65 billion gallons of freshwater annually by using treated water. Data centers, which have increasingly made New Mexico home, could conserve over 218 million gallons per year. Even the state’s growing wind energy sector stands to benefit, with cement production for wind turbine installations saving approximately 105,000 gallons of freshwater per turbine.
“To expand our economy and lower carbon emissions without protecting and saving our freshwater for communities would be a reckless effort,” James Kenney, the state’s environment secretary, said in a press release. “Instead, New Mexico is meeting the moment for the generations of New Mexican families who will find employment in the industries that both solve climate change and ensure water security.”
The feasibility study outlines multiple categories of proven and emerging technologies, including reverse osmosis, thermal distillation and innovative chemical treatment methods. This positioning of New Mexico as a leading incubator for water treatment technologies is expected to bring good-paying jobs to the state while addressing critical water needs.
The path to this comprehensive study began with a Request for Information issued in January, seeking technical and economic information about water sourcing, treatment, delivery, storage, and industrial uses.
After the RFI closed at the end of March, the New Mexico Environment Department partnered with New Mexico State University to host a symposium on brackish and produced water treatment, bringing together researchers, advocates and industry experts from around the country.
The initiative’s benefits will extend to some of New Mexico’s largest population centers and economic hubs, including Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Santa Teresa, as well as broader regions like the San Juan Basin and the Permian Basin. This geographic diversity ensures that the water conservation benefits will be felt statewide.
The plan also has the government’s financial backing to begin implementing the next steps. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy and Bureau of Reclamation have dedicated funds to enhance the country’s water infrastructure, with over $300 million available in state and federal funding for New Mexico water projects.
Photo courtesy Phil Slattery, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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