With most of Bernalillo County and much of north-central New Mexico in extreme drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, and the Albuquerque stretch of the Rio Grande potentially running dry this summer, it’s time for action.
Albuquerque can use its groundwater resources to make up for the lack of surface water, but the drought reminds us that water is scarce in the arid Southwest. Here’s what the Water Authority is working on to help save water for future generations.
The Water Authority is now at “Stage 0 Drought Advisory,” which triggers several actions and calls for increased public education to encourage voluntary water conservation such as:
- Expanding public outreach efforts and customizing promotional and educational materials to raise awareness about the current drought conditions.
- Hosting a series of educational drought-focused webinars with a $20 rebate offered to attendees. About 200 ratepayers signed up for the first two webinars.
- The water conservation program generally follows a three-pronged approach: education, incentives and enforcement. This includes focusing on how we can help educate ratepayers to efficiently irrigate their existing yard, provide incentives for creating beautiful yard transformations, and better target sites that waste water.
- We will be expanding our media outreach on public radio, Spotify, YouTube and social media as well as through traditional methods such as billboards, newspapers and television.
We encourage the public to take advantage of our Desert Friendly Xeriscape Conversion Rebate. At $3 per square foot (the highest in our region), this rebate supports the transformation of water-thirsty lawns into desert friendly landscapes featuring plants, drip irrigation and mulch. This season, we aim to boost participation in this generous program as it remains one of the most effective methods for conserving water outdoors.
We are also prioritizing water waste enforcement. Landscape irrigation is the most common cause of water waste, but waste also can result from air conditioning system leaks, car washing, draining pools and other uses of water. It is also considered water waste to use spray irrigation between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. from April 1 to Oct. 31. Click here to report water waste or call 842-WATR (9287).
Thank you for working together to support our community in conserving water regularly and during these drought conditions.
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