Supercool Earth CEO Dashia Leon proposed a February–March pilot using a biodegradable protein delivered by drones to seed clouds over Santa Fe basins; staff estimated the trial could cost about $5,000 and — if early estimates hold — produce water at a lower per‑acre‑foot cost than other supply options.

Staff laid out how capturing return flow could reduce net water 'calls'—using an example that would cut a 100-unit call to roughly 33 units—and discussed managed aquifer recharge at the Buckman Well Field and possible interconnects to neighboring basins.

BDD operations superintendent Matt Sandoval told the board the Buckman Direct Diversion averaged multi‑million gallon daily diversions in August and that "BDD contributed 41% of the drinking water to the city and county for August 2026." Board members asked follow‑up questions about demand and supply sources.

Board members pressed staff on whether higher August volumes reflected demand or weather; staff said San Juan‑Chama allocation stood at "27%, I'm being told," and described this summer as exceptionally dry, prompting requests for clearer supply breakdowns in future reports.

The presenter said the pipeline is intended to be regional in scale and that Santa Fe County could invest to receive roughly 7% of project water and costs; Schneider described the project as a way to reduce net consumption and increase reusable supply.

BDD operations superintendent Matt Sandoval reported June–July 2026 diversions and deliveries (July raw diversions 5.8 million gpd; June raw diversions 8.86 million gpd) and described testing to validate groundwater-only scenarios and recent repairs to Nichols Reservoir.

Water staff told the board the city has received $11.25 million of a Department of the Interior grant (roughly 25% of the project) and $2.3 million from the New Mexico Water Trust Board for engineering; staff said it is pursuing additional federal matches to cover increased cost estimates.

City water staff briefed the board on the federally funded San Juan–Chama return-flow project, saying a draft environmental assessment will be released for a 30-day public comment period and listing near-term briefings to the PUC (Aug. 17) and BCC (Aug. 25).

The water division explained how the city's water bank and development-water budgets work, confirmed a one-time offset fee near $36,000 per acre-foot, and warned a 198-acre-foot conservation-credit pool could be drawn down in roughly two to three years at current designation rates.

City water staff told the Buckman Direct Diversion Board that early 2026 hydrology is tracking close to 2025, emphasized reservoir storage and conjunctive management, and described planning tools to guide drought declarations and demand‑management steps.

Councilors introduced three water-related items: a backflow prevention ordinance, authorization to execute an NMED wastewater grant (SAP25-J2459-GF), and an ordinance to accept a $7.75 million MFA loan/grant (including a $3.1M loan) for Canyon Road Water Treatment Plant flocculation and sedimentation improvements.

The Buckman Direct Diversion Board received its December operations report showing daily diversions of about 4.21 million gallons and that BDD provided 59% of local supply; members asked staff to produce contingency plans and reserve details given low snowpack.

City of Santa Fe officials and state partners marked the completion of a nearly 18-month, $20 million rehabilitation of Nichols Dam, saying the work fixed safety deficiencies, modernized outlet infrastructure, improved water quality measures and created potential for future hydroelectric generation.

Santa Fe outlines long-term strategy to enhance water supply and address climate impact.