2LT International News

‘Water debt’ forcing New Mexico to reduce water for farmers

Aug 26, 2021

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico: Farmers who depend on water from the irrigation district that channels water along the Rio Grande in central New Mexico will face a second straight year of early cutoffs.

The Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District board voted Friday to end deliveries for irrigation one month early because of the long-term drought and a large water debt owed to southern New Mexico and Texas.

“We understand this could potentially cause people to lose their farms,” said board member Stephanie Russo Baca, who represents Valencia County. “We’re not taking it lightly,” as reported by the Associated Press.

The district’s decision is driven in part by the 1939 Rio Grande Compact, which governs river water deliveries between Colorado, New Mexico and Texas.

New Mexico already owes about 43 billion gallons to downstream users under the compact, but if that deficit reaches 63 million gallons it could face more restrictions on accessing stored water from the El Vado Reservoir.

Mike Hamman, the Conservancy District’s CEO and chief engineer, said that a years-long cycle of accruing water debts during drought is not the answer for long-term water management.
Cutting irrigation diversions would help “chip our way out of this mess” of water debts, Hamman said. Doing so would increase deliveries to Elephant Butte Reservoir.

“Mother Nature is not providing (the water), so we have to adjust,” he said. “It’s not us taking it away from anybody, because the water is not even going to be there in October to do anything with, unless some miracle happens,” as quoted by the Associated Press.

The district has been dealing with shortages for years. It delayed this year’s spring irrigation season start date by one month, and last fall it also ended deliveries a month early.

Valencia County dairy farmer Mikey Smith said local agriculture “will not exist anymore” if the district does not re-examine the equitable distribution of water and evaluate inefficient water use by some irrigators.

A longer irrigation season could harm New Mexico’s standing as Texas pursues U.S. Supreme Court litigation over water deliveries, said Chuck DuMars, the irrigation district’s lawyer.