Scoping for San Juan-Chama Return Flow Project, Environmental Assessment
The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) Albuquerque Area Office is preparing an Environmental Assessment on the City of Santa Fe’s (City) and Santa Fe County’s (County) proposed San Juan-Chama Return Flow Project (Project).
The City’s water supply consists of a combination of native surface water from the Santa Fe River, groundwater, and 5,230 acre-feet per year (AFY) of imported San Juan-Chama Project surface water. The County’s water supply consists of surface water from the Rio Grande and 375 AFY of San Juan-Chama Project surface water. The San Juan-Chama Project is a Reclamation inter-basin water transfer project that supplies water from the greater Colorado River basin to the Rio Grande basin, where it is diverted by the City and County at the Buckman Direct Diversion and treated at the Buckman Water Treatment Plant for drinking water. Long-term projections of the City and County’s water supply indicate that additional water supplies may be needed to meet demand by as early as the 2030s, and consistently by the 2050s. One of the City and County’s strategies to meet the projected shortfall is to fully utilize existing water resources, including over 2,200 AFY of San Juan-Chama Project water that is currently unconsumed and discharged in the Santa Fe River as reclaimed effluent.
The Project would construct a pipeline system from the City’s Paseo Real Water Reclamation Facility to convey and discharge treated San Juan-Chama Project water directly into the Rio Grande just downstream of the Buckman Direct Diversion intake. To the extent possible, the pipeline and associated facilities would be constructed within the existing utility corridor that passes through lands managed by the US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, State of New Mexico, City of Santa Fe, and private ownership.
Operation of the pipeline would provide the flexibility to increase the amount of San Juan-Chama Project water the City and County could divert at the Buckman Direct Diversion, thereby allowing for the full consumption of San Juan-Chama Project water. Upon completion, the Project would deliver over 2,200 AFY to augment the current City and County water supplies and up to 8,500 AFY by 2055. These volumes represent over 20 percent of current City and County demand and about 40 percent of projected 2055 combined demand, respectively.
The ability to fully consume San Juan-Chama Project water would reduce reliance on native surface water and groundwater sources. The proposed Project would not involve native Rio Grande water, and no improvements to the Buckman Direct Diversion intake structure or water treatment plant are required.
Reclamation is seeking input from other agencies, interested parties, and the public during a 30-day public scoping period from October 20 to November 19, 2021. During that time Reclamation will accept comments on the resources to be evaluated in the environmental assessment, issues or concerns, and potential alternatives.
Reclamation will hold two Live Virtual Meetings, one on Tuesday, November 2, 2021, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and one on Wednesday, November 3, 2021, from 10 a.m. to noon Mountain Daylight Time. There will be a brief presentation covering the project followed by a verbal public comment period. Attendees may join via computer or phone to participate.
Registration for the virtual meetings is required and can be made through this link: virtualpublicmeeting.com/sjc-return-flow-project.
Comments must be submitted by close of business on November 19, 2021, by email to SJCReturnFlowProject@empsi.com or by mail to Bureau of Reclamation, c/o EMPSi, 54½ Lincoln St., Santa Fe, NM 87501.
The Bureau of Reclamation is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and is the nation’s largest wholesale water supplier and second largest producer of hydroelectric power. Its facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation opportunities, and environmental benefits. Visit our website at www.usbr.gov and follow us on Twitter @USBR.
Contact: Hector Garcia, 505/463-4660 or HGarcia@usbr.gov.