Albuquerque’s network of irrigation channels, or acequias, is perhaps the city’s greatest hidden treasure. The acequia system not only irrigates family farms and nurtures rural lifestyles, but its waters also create an extensive public park, complete with walking paths along the length and width of the valley. Integrating the acequia network into the citywide open-space environment would connect the acequia paths with the open spaces of Rio Grande State Park, Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge, West Mesa, and Sandia Mountain. This linear study at Los Griegos proposes shallower banks along the drain to provide the roots of Cottonwood trees (Populus deltoides) with greater water access. Cottonwoods are massive shade trees that are an endangered keystone species of the bosque, or forests along the Rio Grande.
This project proposes adding recreational amenities with hydrological improvements along Los Griegos drain that are more culturally and ecologically specific to the Middle Rio Grande region.
Widening the shape of the banks to reflect a more riverine flow improves water quality and increases moisture absorption into depleted soil. Trees will grow healthier and more abundant, providing much-needed shade in areas where people will recreate. Lineality is a characteristic of the mediums of site and time. Take a closer look.