Water-level data for the Albuquerque Basin and adjacent areas, central New Mexico, period of record through 2000

The Albuquerque Basin, located in central New Mexico, is about
100 miles long and 25 to 40 miles wide. The basin is defined as the
extent of consolidated and unconsolidated deposits of
Tertiary and Quaternary age that encompass the structural Rio
Grande Rift within the basin. Drinking-water supplies
throughout the Albuquerque Basin are obtained solely from ground-
water resources. An increase of about 35 percent in the population
from 1980 to 1990 has resulted in an increased demand for water.
From April 1982 through September 1983, a network of wells was
established to monitor changes in ground-water levels throughout the
Albuquerque Basin. This network consisted of 6 wells with analog-
to-digital recorders and 27 wells where water levels were measured
monthly. Currently (2000), the network consists of 221 wells and
piezometers. U.S. Geological Survey personnel collect water-
level measurements at sites 1-88 and sites 165-221. Water-level and
other data for sites 89-164 are measured by other agencies and
reported to the U.S. Geological Survey.