About the Albuquerque Division Schematic:

This page is intended to provide information to the viewer about the current operation of 
the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District's (MRGCD) Albuquerque Division.  Before using, the 
viewer should be aware of the following:

1.  This is a schematic representation of major features of the Albuquerque division.  It 
illustrates how the MRGCD facilities and the Rio Grande are functionally related.  It is 
not a map, or a literal illustration of the system.  There are many lesser canals and drains 
which are not shown, and which in general are not measured.  

2.  These pages were designed primarily for water managers, and so assume some 
knowledge of terms.  Flow is typically given in cubic feet per second (CFS).  Other 
parameters which may be reported are stage (HG) which is elevation of the water surface 
as referenced to some arbitrary point, or pool height (HP) which is the depth of the water 
above the bottom of the canal.

3.  Clicking on any of the green boxes will bring up a graph showing the data for that gauge 
over the past 20 days.  There will also be a tabular list of the same data to the right of the 
graph.  Clicking on the name of the gauge will bring up a photo to give the viewer an idea 
of what that particular site actually looks like.  Clicking on the navigation bar at the top 
of the page will allow the viewer to move to other Schematic pages for other MRGCD Divisions, 
or to the ET Toolbox.  There is a wealth of data which may be found from the ET Toolbox page, 
including climate data, NEXRAD and satellite images, reference ET values, 
acreage/cropping patterns, and estimated water consumption for specific areas of the Rio 
Grande. 

4.  The data shown is near Real-time.  It is generated from electronic devices, operating 
in sometimes less than ideal conditions, and is transmitted and displayed without any 
human intervention.  Data is collected every 30 minutes, at top and bottom of the hour.  
Updated data appears on the website about 20 to 30 minutes after collection.  While MRGCD 
strives to keep this equipment working correctly, all data should be considered provisional, 
and subject to revision at a later date.  Occasionally data may be missing or incorrect.

5.  These data are made available through a cooperative effort between the MRGCD and the 
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

6.  Downloading and use of MRGCD data, identified by green boxes, is possible but 
discouraged due to the provisional status of the data.  MRGCD may be contacted to 
provide final data, though this may require some time.

7.  Some data, identified by yellow boxes, originates via the US Geological Survey and 
they should be considered the source for acquisition of that data.  Data in the two orange 
boxes is obtained from the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority in 
units of million gallons per day, and is converted to units of cubic feet per second 
for display on the Albuquerque Schematic page.

8.  The MRGCD data collection system does not adjust for daylight savings time.  
The time shown is Mountain Standard Time.  Since much of the irrigation season occurs 
during daylight savings time, the user should be prepared to add one hour for correction.  
For example, the reading for the Albuquerque Main Canal labeled as 14:00 MST is actually 
the correct reading for 3:00 PM during daylight savings time.

9.  The Albuquerque Division is near the upper end of the MRGCD system.  In general, it 
is more urbanized than other parts of the MRGCD.  Most of the canals in the Albuquerque 
Division are very old, dating back to Spanish colonial times in the mid 1600's through 
the early 1700's.  When the MRGCD was formed, it inherited these existing Acequia systems, 
and created connecting links between them so all could be served from a single point of 
diversion.  The result is a somewhat bewildering array of intersecting canals completely 
unlike most modern irrigation projects, but with a very unique character.  

The Albuquerque division serves Native American lands at the Pueblos of Santa Ana and 
Sandia, the communities of Bernalillo, Corrales, Alameda, Los Ranchos, the North Valley, 
the South Valley, and a portion of Isleta Pueblo.  There are a few large farms scattered 
throughout the area but most are small farms of just a few acres or less.  Many irrigators 
water lawns, small garden plots, or fruit trees.  The largest remaining farm areas are on 
the Pueblos and in the South Valley.  The diversion point for the Albuquerque Division 
is Angostura Dam, about 6 miles north of Bernalillo.   Some return flows from the Cochiti 
Division may be routed directly into the Albuquerque Division, minimizing the amount 
which must be diverted at Angostura.

Diversions at Angostura are directed to the Albuquerque Main Canal and the Atrisco Feeder 
Canal.  An inverted siphon (built of wood, like a giant wine cask!) carries water 
underneath the Rio Grande from the Albuquerque Main Canal to the Corrales Main Canal, 
and any remaining water leaving Corrales returns to the Rio Grande from two drains and two 
wasteways.  The Albuquerque Main Canal and the Atrisco Feeder re-join briefly near Sandia 
Lakes, and any excess water in the system may be returned to the Rio Grande at that point 
through the 650 wasteway.  The Albuquerque Main Canal then spreads water to dozens of 
Laterals in the North Valley.  Surface returns from these canals are then collected by 
the Atrisco Feeder, and just north of Central Avenue, another inverted siphon (this one 
of concrete) carries water from the Atrisco Feeder, underneath the Rio Grande, to the 
Arenal Main Canal and the South Valley.  A portion of the Atrisco Feeder flow is routed 
down the Albuquerque Riverside Drain to the Barr Main Canal.  Excess water can be returned 
to the Rio Grande from the Central Avenue wasteway.  Return flows from the South Valley, 
and drains on both sides of the river, deliver Albuquerque Division tailwater to Isleta Dam, 
where it is diverted for the Belen Division.