County launches dashboard to track water levels

Wondering about water levels below the ground’s surface around Bernalillo County and how they’ve changed over time?

County officials on Monday launched an interactive tool that allows the public to view up-to-date water level measurements at wells across the county.

Kristen Ferguson, a county spokesperson, said water professionals, well drillers, developers and homeowners will find the dashboard useful. She said she also hopes the dashboard will raise awareness of water conservation opportunities.

“Community members, including domestic well owners, have expressed interest in increasing the accessibility of these data and having data that is as up to date as possible,” Ferguson said.

“The dashboard is a valuable addition to BernCo’s Natural Resource Services’ ongoing efforts to provide transparent and accessible water level data,” according to a county news release.

According to the release, the dashboard aims to:

• Improve access to groundwater data and the public’s understanding of groundwater resources within the county.

• Encourage awareness of natural resources and promote the protection and conservation of those resources.

• Modernize water data and establish the public availability of water measurement information, current and historical.

The dashboard is part of the county’s compliance with New Mexico’s 2019 Water Data Act, which mandates that local governments make water data available to the public. Ferguson said the data was previously shared in spreadsheet form on the New Mexico Water Data Initiative website database.

The dashboard works on mobile phones and desktop computers, the release states, but the desktop version provides more robust functionality.

The site includes a map of well locations and a list of wells by name. Clicking on a well allows the viewer to see its water level over time. The list also shows the elevation, permit numbers, and current depth of each well.

Another button allows the viewer to filter the list of wells by which aquifers serve them.

The dashboard also includes a link to the New Mexico Groundwater Dashboard, which has information on 2,323 wells across the state.

According to the county’s 2021-2025 water conservation plan more than 300 wells are monitored up to three times a year. The plan says trend analysis concludes that water levels in the East Mountains area are declining at an average rate of almost 2 feet per year on average, with some wells declining by 6 to 10 feet per year.

It’s difficult to accurately estimate the number of domestic wells, the plan says, because many wells lack permits.