USACE, ABCWUA sign new water storage agreement for Abiquiu Reservoir

Photo By Elizabeth Lockyear | Lt. Col. Jerre Hansbrough, left, commander, USACE-Albuquerque District, and Mark Sanchez, executive director, Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority, signed a new water storage agreement for Abiquiu Reservoir at the Water Authority’s Customer Service Center in Albuquerque, N.M., June 26, 2024. The agreement will allow Abiquiu Reservoir to store Rio Grande system water for the first time, functionally increasing Abiquiu Reservoir’s storage capacity from 200,000 acre feet to approximately 230,000 acre feet.  

ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO, UNITED STATES

06.27.2024

Story by Elizabeth Lockyear 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Albuquerque District

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Albuquerque District signed a new water storage agreement for Abiquiu Reservoir with the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority, here, June 26.

“We’re here to celebrate resilience, adaptation, partnerships, all of those things that are absolutely critical to do,” said Michael Connor, Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works). “It’s incredibly impressive to have this array of partners to work with,” he said.

The agreement, along with updates to the USACE-Albuquerque District’s Water Control Manual that occurred earlier in the year, allows Abiquiu Reservoir to store Rio Grande system water.

“It all starts with using our existing infrastructure in much better ways to advance as many interests as possible,” Connor said.

Section 337 of the Water Resources Development Act 2020 modified existing Congressional authorizations at Abiquiu Reservoir (Public Law 97-140 and Public Law 100-522) to allow more flexibility for concurrent storage of U.S. Bureau of Reclamation San Juan-Chama project water and Rio Grande system water, while changing the authorized water supply storage limit within the flood control space.

This change functionally increases Abiquiu Reservoir’s storage capacity from 200,000 acre feet to approximately 230,000 acre feet. This will allow additional storage space for the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority (ABCWUA) as well as other agreement holders.

“This agreement will allow storage for the first time of native Rio Grande water in Abiquiu Reservoir,” said Eric Olivas, Bernalillo County Commissioner and Water Authority Board Chairman.

“Until now Abiquiu was only authorized to store water that was imported by the San Juan-Chama project. Now that might not sound like a big deal, but it really truly is for water managers across the region, across the state. This was literally made possible through an act of Congress. That’s how complicated this was to get done,” he said.

Water storage must be permitted by New Mexico and comply with all state and federal laws including the Rio Grande Compact.

The Abiquiu Dam began construction in 1956 and became operational in 1963 with the primary purpose of flood control.

For more information about Abiquiu Dam and Lake please visit https://www.spa.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Recreation/Abiquiu-Lake/.

• Date Taken: 06.27.2024
• Date Posted: 06.27.2024 19:35
• Story ID: 475080
• Location: ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO, US
• Hometown: ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO, US