Middle Rio Grande, New Mexico

The Middle Rio Grande brings life-giving water to a semi-arid region, where nearly a million people live in the Albuquerque metropolitan area. Irrigation diversions have sustained human communities for centuries, but hydrological alterations to the river increased substantially in the 1900s. Today, as a result of human modifications to the river system, riparian woodlands grow along a simplified river channel, which offer a place for a diversity of people to visit and interact with the riverine landscape. However, the cottonwood trees, often called the heart of the Bosque, are nearing the end of their lifespan. Due to a lack of flood pulses, cottonwood seedlings aren’t regenerating, leaving the future of the Bosque uncertain.

Historic Channel Comparison

Geographic Information Systems

Channel width declines are estimated at over 70% since the 1890s in the Albuquerque reach of the Rio Grande.

Then & Now

Repeat Photography

Newly constructed in the early 1930s, the Atrisco Heading diverted water to canals to supply water to areas southwest of Albuquerque and west of the river. In the 1933 image, the Central Avenue bridge is visible across the river. As of 2018, the Atrisco heading is no longer functional, and cottonwood trees block most of the view of the bridge. Development of downtown Albuquerque can be seen above the treeline.

Sandia Mountains, Rio Grande, & Albuquerque

Time-lapse Photography

Looking southeast towards the Sandia Mountain range, this time-lapse shows the Rio Grande in the foreground and the city of Albuquerque to the right in the frame.

Audio & Spectrogram

Soundscape

Recorded at the Bosque Nature Center in Albuquerque, the flow of the Rio Grande can be heard along side of human activity such as car traffic and dogs barking.