Acoma Watershed Assessment

The Acoma Pueblo Watershed Assessment will result in the development of a Watershed Management Plan for Pueblo of Acoma lands within the Rio San José watershed. The study will also assess the impacts of land uses outside Pueblo boundaries that may be affecting Acoma Pueblo’s water resources.  The full watershed totals approximately 2,636 square miles and includes many small towns, Federal and state land, as well as Acoma and Laguna Pueblos, both federally recognized tribes located in west central New Mexico.

 

In the Rio San José watershed, dewatering in relation to mining activities may be contributing to a decrease in discharge rates at several naturally occurring springs on the Pueblo of Acoma and to groundwater drawdown within the Rio San José valley aquifer.  Riparian and aquatic habitat quality has also declined in recent years and an associated increase in invasive species could impair agricultural and grazing lands used by the people of Acoma.