Sandoval County just might be sitting on the modern-day equivalent of a gold mine.

Initial test results of a deepwater aquifer in the Rio Puerco basin show that there is more than enough brackish water to meet the region’s water needs for at least 100 years.

The results show that, when purified at a desalination plant, the aquifer could produce 43,200 acre feet of potable water a year, for the next 100 years. “It’s enough water to support a town of 300,000 people for the next 100 years,” said Sandoval County Commissioner Jack Thomas. “When you think about that, that’s Rio Rancho times four.”

Thomas said the implications of such a water stockpile could be huge for the Rio Rancho and the county. Sufficient water supply could help lure manufacturing plants to the City of Vision, as well as meaning that there will be enough water to sustain future population growth.

Thomas, whose district includes the west side of Rio Rancho, said it would also be beneficial for the recharge of the Rio Grande aquifer system, which currently serves as Rio Rancho’s chief source of water.“For every 10,000 acre feet of distilled water, even if we lose 1,000 acre feet, that we reinject into (the Rio Grande) aquifer, that means 19,000 acre feet … the 9,000 you put in and the 10,000 acre feet you didn’t take out.”

The site for two test wells, where the county and consultants conducted a 30-day aquifer test, is near the right-of-way for a proposed northwest highway loop connecting US 550 and I-40. It’s also near a proposed 3,300 acre industrial park, off the loop.

The test began on Oct. 1 and ended on Thursday. The site is approximately seven miles west of Rio Rancho, near the McKinley County line. Mike Springfield, director of Sandoval County’s Development Division said the “highly positive” results were calculated by hydrologists and engineering consultants, from data obtained during the 30-day test. He stressed that results were preliminary and that future studies would confirm the aquifer’s size and water content “beyond a reasonable doubt.”

For more on this story, see Sunday’s edition of The Observer.