Aquifers in the Rios Gallina and Chama Watersheds are considered to be locally significant ( green ).
Widespread availability of quality groundwater, however, helps in water banking when droughts, overuse, and disasters cause needs to exceed supplies downstream.
While more extensive development of groundwater in the Rio Chama Watershed might be tempting, certain current logging methodologies for wells appear quite problematic from a health perspecitve, infra.
Contamination of groundwater will destroy potentials for supplying high quality food and water downstream.