As Albuquerque enters its monsoon season, the city has upgraded its 15 pump stations.
These improvements, a joint effort between the City of Albuquerque and the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Authority, aim to prevent flooding and ensure the efficient transfer of large volumes of water to the Rio Grande during heavy storms.
Over the past year, comprehensive enhancements have been implemented at the pump stations. These include new security systems with cameras linked to the Real Time Crime Center, alarms and a new SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system for advanced pump control and monitoring.
“We did an audit of every station and made sure every pump, every control, and every person is ready for this year’s monsoon season,” said Jennifer Turner, Director of the City’s Department of Municipal Development. “We know neighbors count on us to make sure their neighborhoods don’t flood and our new systems will improve the reliability of our pump stations even more.”
While the City of Albuquerque owns the pump stations, the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Authority is responsible for their operation. In addition to security upgrades, both entities have collaborated on cleaning the stations and ponding areas, installing new physical security measures like fencing, and streamlining internal communication procedures.
“I’ve seen what happens when these pumps fail, and it’s not acceptable,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “This year, we went above and beyond to make sure our teams, and the teams from the Water Authority, are prepared to keep our streets safe throughout the monsoon season.”
The 15 pump stations are strategically located in flood-prone areas across the city. The newest station, commissioned in 2022 near Marble and Arno off Broadway, has been named after former City Councilor Ike Benton. Each pump is capable of moving up to 12,000 gallons of water per minute to the Rio Grande, with many stations featuring multiple pumps to rapidly clear large holding ponds.
These pump stations are integral to the city’s broader stormwater infrastructure, which includes 705 miles of underground pipes. The Department of Municipal Development (DMD) conducts nearly 500 inspections annually to ensure storm grates and underground pipes remain clear. Residents experiencing clogged storm drains or neighborhood flooding are encouraged to call 311 to report the issue.
The Department of Municipal Development is responsible for building and maintaining Albuquerque’s infrastructure, including roads, storm drains, and city facilities.