Development of a Dynamic Statewide Water Budget for Improved Water Planning in New Mexico

Sam Fernald was appointed director of the New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute (NM WRRI) in July 2013 after having served as interim director since January 2011.  His earned degrees include a 1987 B.A. in international relations from Stanford University, an M.E.M. in 1993 in water and air resources from Duke University, and a Ph.D. in watershed science from Colorado State University in 1997. His primary research interests include water quality hydrology; land use effects on infiltration, runoff, sediment yield, and nonpoint source pollution; and effects of surface water/groundwater exchange on water availability and water quality. Sam received a Fulbright Scholarship to Patagonian National University, Trelew, Argentina in 2008, and another Fulbright Scholarship to the University of Concepcion, Concepcion, Chile in 2000. Sam currently is leading a multi-institutional, five year, $1.4 million water research project funded by the National Science Foundation. In addition to NMSU, partners in the study include the University of New Mexico, New Mexico Tech, Sandia National Laboratories, the New Mexico Acequia Association, and the Maxwell Museum.