The initial siting work for this project is being completed under the Long Range Water Supply Plan.
Pajarito Well No. 3 has been taken offline due to nearby groundwater contamination. Because of this loss of a well, and the need to plan for projected increases in water use by Los Alamos National Laboratory and Los Alamos County, preparation to permit and construct a new water supply well is necessary. This project will fund the engineering and hydrologist services to design a new exploratory well and perform the analysis necessary to harvest the County’s San Juan Chama water right from a water supply well located at Overlook Park in White Rock. In 2012, the DPU commissioned an engineering study to evaluate the alternatives to develop the San Juan Chama water allocation of 1,200 acre-feet annually. This is a surface water right and must be drawn from the Rio Grande. The recommended alternative was to drill conventional water wells in close proximity to the Rio Grande to harvest the surface water from the Rio Grande. The Pajarito Well No. 3 replacement will need to drill and test it for capacity at the Overlook Park Area. Hydrogeological studies, modeling, and environmental assessments will be needed to move forward with permitting the well through the Office of the State Engineer.
FY27 $300,000 (Capital Improvement Project)
FY28 $1,500,000 (Federal allocation)