The county has started a new well monitoring program, in part as a response to a series of neighborhood association meetings in the East Mountains, and also upon seeing a USGS report on data from late 2008, according to Dan McGregor of Bernalillo County Public Works Water Resources.

"We noted that, in the eastern part of the county, monitor wells were dropping," he said. "They hadn't seen a recharge on the west side of (N.M.) 14."

That led to a series of questions about what is going on in the geology of the area to cause the wells to drop, and those questions left McGregor on a search for information.

"We just realized we had a lack of data to understand what was going on," he said.

Members of Tranquilo Pines, one of the East Mountain neighborhoods, had voiced a concern about their water dropping off in private wells, McGregor said.

"One resident said they had lost her well," McGregor said. "She was asking, 'What can we do, can you help me out?' … We recognized that there is a problem out there."

One likely cause for the problem in Tranquilo Pines is a larger, deeper well nearby. According to the hydrological explanation, when a deep well draws water, it creates a kind of cone of low pressure that affects nearby wells, especially the closer or shallower wells.

"That does lower the water level or pressure head in a cone around the pump, depending on the geologic conditions and depth," McGregor said. "I strongly suspect that's what's happening in Tranquilo Pines."

This is one of several potential issues that aren't always looked at when the decision is made to approve a new well, though. When decisions about permitting new wells are made by Office of the State Engineer, the assumption is often that domestic wells will not have a significant impact, McGregor said.

"For an individual well, that's true," he said.

When there are several wells in a small area, the effect of domestic wells is greater, he said.

"That's what's going on in Tranquilo Pines," he said.

It may be another story for Ventana Del Sol, which is in Cedar Crest on the west side of N.M. 14. Although the major concerns may be slightly different, residents there are also concerned about a drop in well water levels, as much as 10 feet a year, according to Rob Easterling, the wells committee chairman for the area's home owners association.

"Our situation is really driven by how much snowfall and rainfall the Sandias get," he said.

They do know that the wells were recharged after a year of heavy snowfall about four years ago, he said, but more information would help everyone. In particular, he is interested in helping the Office of the State Engineer and the county gather information to make their decisions.

"This helps us understand what our prospects are," he said. "We're pleased to learn about this new program."

If state agencies continue to operate without gathering information, water issues could become more widespread over time, McGregor said.

There are only a small number of monitoring wells, but declining levels have been seen at one in the county's eastern boundary, west of Edgewood as well as a private domestic well in Sandia Knolls and a well at Fire Station 6, both of which are near Frost Road and N.M. 14. Declines are also seen in a well on Juan Tomas Road near N.M. 337 south of Tijeras.

Bernalillo County is asking residents putting in new wells or those with recorded well logs containing construction information to help monitor the situation. They're looking to monitor wells twice a year in various locations in the eastern part of Bernalillo County.

As an incentive for new well owners to allow the county access to monitor water levels, they will waive a permit fee, which would save the well owner $75. For new well owners who will pay to put in an approved measuring device, the county offers something more, not only waiving permit fees but also providing sampling and testing for a required water quality analysis.

"It's not limited to new wells," he said. "We can't do incentives (for established wells) but we can talk to them."

For more information contact Dan McGregor at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .