USGS Science in New Mexico

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USGS Science in New Mexico

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03/22/2026

Today we highlight the importance of freshwater in recognition of World Water Day! 💧

In New Mexico, we utilize freshwater from both surface and groundwater and the USGS provides the science needed to manage these water resources. These pictures are from a recent water-quality campaign to document the occurrence of PFAS, often referred to as "forever chemicals," in locations along the Rio Grande in New Mexico. The information gained from this study will provide clues to sources and concentrations of PFAS in the Rio Grande, an important freshwater resource in the state.

📷 1: USGS employees Trevor Brannon and Karen Burke sampling from a kayak on the Rio Grande above the Buckman Diversion. Photo Credit: Justin Nichols, USGS
📷 2: USGS technician Karen Burke drawing samples from the Rio Grande below the Taos Junction Bridge. Photo Credit: Justin Nichols, USGS
📷 3: A scene from inside the New Mexico Water Science Center mobile water-quality lab. Photo Credit: Justin Nichols, USGS

03/16/2026

Happy National Surveyors Week! 📏

Today we celebrate the surveyors whose precision keeps New Mexico's data on level.

At the USGS, we report streamgage heights to the hundredth of a foot. How do we verify this accuracy? Our technicians survey our streamgages and well sites for vertical accuracy every 1 to 5 years, depending on the stability of the site.

📷 1: View of survey level with rodman in the background at the Carrizozo Creek near Kenton, OK gage. Photo Credit: Jeff Sievers, USGS
📷 2: Crew using surveying equipment to determine site elevation. Photo Credit: Anani Shomour, USGS
📷 3: Rodman holds survey rod on the measuring point of a flood gage at Tramperos Creek near Stead, NM. Photo Credit: Jeff Sievers, USGS
📷 4: Technician enjoying a warm winter day of surveying. Photo Credit: Jeff Sievers, USGS

03/13/2026

It's spring-cleaning time! 🌻🧼

Here at the New Mexico Water Science Center, we take our cleaning seriously and give our scientific instruments a thorough cleaning and calibration check more often than just springtime. Doing so helps keep our data clean, reliable, and ready for everyone to use year-round.

📷: Specialist Lauren Henson lending a hand to clean a water-quality monitor on the Rio Grande below Cochiti Dam, NM.

03/10/2026

It's a bird... It's a plane... It's National Groundwater Awareness Week! 💧

Scientists are mapping groundwater resources in New Mexico from the air using non-invasive electromagnetic signals. This method helps locate fresh and brackish water, guiding well placement and aquifer recharge projects.

Led by the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources' Aquifer Mapping & Monitoring Program and funded by the New Mexico Legislature, this effort will use USGS water level data and supports New Mexico's 50-Year Water Action Plan.

Monitoring these groundwater resources is crucial in an arid state like ours, where about half of our water supply depends on them.

Click here to learn more about this study - https://ow.ly/xEOx50YpZhn

📷: A helicopter conducts an airborne electromagnetic survey over Clovis, NM. Photo Credit: Mike Whiting, USGS NMWSC

03/06/2026

These waters run deep! 🌊

The waters of Ponil Creek have seen humans breaking into its ice dating back to early Puebloan occupation. In more recent times, the Ponil Creek near Cimarron streamgage was established in 1916 and has seen generations of Hydrologic Technicians break through its ice to get the best quality data for New Mexico and beyond.

📷 1: View of a frozen Ponil Creek with the streamgage house along the creek. Photo credit: Lindsay Keeney, USGS NMWSC.
📷 2: View showing extent of frozen creek upstream of streamgage. Photo credit: Lindsay Keeney, USGS NMWSC.

03/03/2026

Happy Birthday to us! 🎂

Some things change, and others don't. For over a century, USGS scientists have been hitting the road to collect timely earth science data for the people of the U.S. and the world.

Our tools may have modernized, but our commitment to the mission remains the same as it was at our founding in 1879.

📷 1: Ford Model A used by USGS scientist Levi Nobel while mapping the Mohave Desert in the 1930s (photo taken in the 1960s). Photo Credit: USGS
📷 2: Same Model A now on display in the John Wesley Powell Federal Building in Reston, VA. Photo Credit: Anne Tillery, USGS
📷 3: Modern USGS field vehicle in the New Mexico desert. Photo Credit: Sean Christeson, USGS

02/28/2026

When was the last time you visited the New Mexico State Capitol? 🏛️

The New Mexico Water Science Center (NMWSC) participated in this year's Earth Science Day at the New Mexico State Capitol. Earth Science Day provides a venue for science agencies and academia to showcase how earth science informs public policy and natural resource management.

During this year's crowded event, the NMWSC highlighted USGS studies of hydrologic resources across New Mexico, along with hydrologic tools such as steel tapes for measuring water depth in wells and flow meters for measuring streamflow.

📷: USGS scientists Jeff Cordova and Anani Shomour prepare to share examples of studies, technologies, and techniques used to better understand New Mexico's water resources with Earth Science Day attendees.

02/24/2026

How do we know if aquifer levels are changing? 💧

In order to understand the status of our state's aquifers, the USGS sends measuring tapes down hundreds of wells every year. This past December and January alone, over 500 water level measurements were made by the New Mexico Water Science Center with assistance from the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources and the Arizona Water Science Center.

With groundwater accounting for over 50% of New Mexico’s total water supply and 78% of our drinking water, it is a vital resource to keep track of!

What do you think is the deepest well measured in New Mexico? 🤔

📷 1 and 2: Technician measuring water levels in southern New Mexico. Photo Credit: Lauren Henson, USGS

02/17/2026

Thanks for the shoutout, USGS Water Resources! 🙌

02/14/2026

Happy Valentine's Day from the New Mexico Water Science Center! ❤️

A Valentine for the Flow Crew:
There once was a tech by the stream,
Whose gage readings made data a dream.
Through snowmelt and rain,
They chart every gain,
Keeping rivers in balance supreme!

USGS Hydrologists and Technicians regularly measure streamflow at gage sites to verify that the gage readings are accurate.

📷: Hydrologist Mike Whiting making a wading streamflow measurement at Gallinas Creek near Montezuma. Photo Credit: Justin Nichols / USGS NMWSC.

02/10/2026

Hydrotechs have to find a way, whether it's through rain, sleet, snow, or sun! ❄️☀️

This Four Corners region scene was captured by one of our hydrotechs while on his way to make a routine discharge measurement on the Mancos River. Snowy conditions forced him to reconsider his route but also provided a chance to take in the view. Consistent visits to our gages are required to maintain high-quality streamflow data for New Mexico and the Nation.

📷: Snow-covered desert with Carrizo Mountains in the distance. Photo Credit: James Misutka / USGS NMWSC.

02/06/2026

Did you know there is ice fishing in New Mexico? 🎣

Eagle Nest Lake, the highest-elevation reservoir in the state, is a popular ice fishing destination. Be sure to check the USGS reservoir gage site for lake levels before planning your next ice fishing trip! ❄️📈

View the data: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/USGS-07205500

📷 1: View of ice-covered Eagle Nest Lake from the South.
📷 2: Graph of reservoir storage over time from the USGS Eagle Nest Lake nr Eagle Nest, NM reservoir level gage.

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6700 Edith Boulevard NE
Albuquerque, NM
87113

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https://www.usgs.gov/nmwater

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