Enhancing Water Retention and Facilitating Groundwater Recharge to Protect and Maintain Springs
Located in the arid Southwest, water is a revered resource for the Pueblo de San Ildefonso and is central to many cultural practices and essential needs. Drought and other changes in hydrological cycles affect infiltration rates and recharge to groundwater aquifers, which adversely affects surface water bodies sustained by groundwater, including springs.
This project aimed to protect springs located on the Pueblo de San Ildefonso from drought to help sustain wildlife and native vegetation, while also ensuring the Pueblo community can visit and use the springs, particularly sacred sites, for traditional and cultural practices. The project team restored areas directly surrounding springs on Pueblo lands, collaborated with surrounding landowners to identify groundwater recharge areas at higher elevations that replenish springs, and assessed the need to enhance or protect these recharge areas.
Monitoring and adaptive management were be an integral part of this project, including monitoring to evaluate the success of spring restoration and protection that can inform future drought restoration projects.
Key Accomplishments
- Implemented restoration projects at three culturally-significant springs, which included:
- Exclusion fencing and alternative water sourcing to keep cattle out of springs.
- Invasive plant species removal.
- Collaborated with the adjacent Los Alamos National Laboratory to reduce the feral cattle population that was negatively impacting one of the springs.
- Developed a spring restoration and monitoring plan.
This research was funded by NIDIS through the FY 2022 Coping with Drought Competition – Building Tribal Drought Resilience. For more information, please contact Britt Parker (britt.parker@noaa.gov) and Crystal Stiles (crystal.stiles@noaa.gov).
Research Snapshot
Impacts and Outcomes of This Research
- Restoration and monitoring activities resulted in the following outcomes:
- The feral cattle population was reduced.
- Cattle were prevented from reaching the emerging point of Sacred Spring.
- The woody invasive species population around the springs was reduced.
- Tribal staff gained knowledge of wildlife usage of the springs.
- These activities resulted in an improvement in the ecosystems surrounding the springs.
- The project supported staff development and expertise in spring restoration and monitoring, and it is expected to support future internships and experiences for youth to participate in monitoring and restoration.
- It is expected that continued woody invasive species control, spring flow maintenance, water quality monitoring, ecosystem monitoring, and feral cattle control will protect these culturally-significant springs, allowing the community to visit and use these springs as intended.
