• Home
• About the BDD
  • What It Is
  • What It Does
  • Who Gets BDD Water
  • San Juan Chama Project
• Water Quality
  • Excellent Quality
  • LANL Effects on Rio Grande Water Quality
  • Surface Water Quality
  • Rio Grande Daily Diversions
  • BDD Asks LANL
  • Independent Peer Reviewer
• Economy & Environment
  • Economic Benefits
  • Environmental Stewardship
• Construction
  • Schedule/Updates
  • Costs
  • Safety
  • Permits
  • Renderings
  • Photo Gallery
• FAQ
• Governance
  • Board Structure
  • Board Authority
  • Board Members
  • Board Meetings
  • Intergovernmental Agreements
• News & Opinions
  • News Releases
  • Newsletters
• Resources
  • BDD Publications
  • Reports & References
  • Links

Opinions

Santa Fe New Mexican
My View

September 21st article “La Nina quickly gains strength, threatening drought in NM 

Buckman Direct Diversion Project helps protect us from running out of water during a drought

During the severe drought experienced by Santa Fe from the late 1990’s to 2002, the City of Santa Fe and Santa Fe County designed a sustainable water supply project to help protect us from running out of water during a drought or a reduced water supply caused by climate change.  This spring, the Buckman Direct Diversion Project (BDD) will begin delivering quality drinking water to Santa Fe City and County water customers, just prior to the hot, drought months of the summer that may be coming as a result of the current La Nina. The BDD Regional Water Treatment Plant will provide up to 60% of the annual water supply for over 100,000 customers, delivering as much as 15 million gallons per day of treated drinking water.

Our current three sources of water are the City well field, City Buckman well field and the City Canyon Road water treatment plant, which treats Santa Fe River water stored in two reservoirs.  The Santa Fe River reservoirs currently supply about half the water our region needs due to water right limitations. The BDD Project provides a fourth source of water by diverting and treating water available from the Rio Grande that we already own, but cannot access through groundwater pumping.  The BDD creates the infrastructure required to fully use the City and County permanent yearly supply of the San Juan-Chama Project water, which is about half of the Santa Fe community’s current total annual water use.  The BDD Project adds flexibility to the region’s water supply portfolio, improves the regional water supply under drought conditions, replaces unsustainable groundwater pumping, and makes a groundwater drought reserve possible.

Thanks to the Santa Fe Public Utilities Department’s sound management and water resource planning, directed by Brian K. Snyder, in addition to implementing the BDD, the City has also made improvements to the Canyon Road water treatment plant that will allow peak day demands to be met and we also anticipate entering next summer with mostly full reservoirs.

Water conservation has significantly reduced Santa Fe area’s per capita water use since its peak in 1995.  In fact, City of Santa Fe and Santa Fe County water customers have made our region a leader in water conservation and drought management, reducing demand by about 40% over the last decade. 

Due to major reductions in water use by the City and County customers, the City will not need additional water supplies until after 2020. The County’s share of the BDD Project will satisfy their requirements for decades.

The BDD Project will be able to deliver up to 15 million gallons per day (MGD) of treated drinking water for City and County water system customers.  Peak daily water use is 14 to 16 million gallons per day. Normally, the BDD Project will operate at about one-half of full capacity.

For more information visit www.bddproject.org

Rebecca Wurzburger
BDD Board Chair
City of Santa Fe Mayor Pro Tem
City Councilor, District 2