This article was first published by Source NM. Read more at sourcenm.com .
As the state pushes forward with a plan to spur a treated brackish water industry in New Mexico, experts are calling for greater investment in underground mapping long before the first salty aquifer is tapped.
The Water Data Initiative, a group of state agencies and academics, seeks to continue the mapping of aquifers and expand other data collection and sharing, an effort to fully map out the state’s water resources as demand increases in an increasingly arid West.
To do that, the initiative issued a report Aug. 30 asking state lawmakers to increase its funding by more than $7 million, including $2.1 million in money that would recur annually.
One key area identified for mapping by the initiative is brackish water aquifers, which sit more than 2,500 feet below the surface and contain water that corrodes equipment and is too salty for humans or livestock to drink. Companies across the country and world are weighing in on a state proposal to harvest that water, treat it and then sell it to the state. The state would then sell it to other companies.