Water, Water Everywhere?
by Anna Crook
In order for New Mexico to expand its economic capabilities, the State and citizens of New Mexico must conserve and protect our water supplies, both above-ground and underground.
There are a variety of proposals that will enable us to do this.
Here is a short list enumerating a few of these proposals:
This is an extremely complex issue, and one that we will all be forced to deal with, one way or another, in the future.
- Create Water Banking: The law of "use it or lose it" does not create incentives to conserve water.
- Limit Drilling of Domestic Wells: There have been proposals to limit the drilling of domestic wells if an entity can be served by a municipality or a Domestic Water Association.
- Basin Closure: Some have suggested that certain basins should be closed; although there are water rights available, there is no water.
- Storage and Recovery: Bernalillo County is proposing a Storage and Recovery system for water they are entitled to that is not utilized in winter months (these are surface waters). The water would be put through a stringent process of purification and then would be injected into the aquifer.
We New Mexicans also need to work with our Texas neighbors to help stem the decline of the Ogallala Basin; it is in the best interest of both our states to do so.
A number of municipalities have water conservation plans. We must educate and plan for the future if we are to have a viable water source for future generations.
I would like to share some of the water-related issues facing New Mexico's citizens. These issues are of great concern to me and my fellow New Mexico citizens, and are issues of which many of our state's citizens are unaware. In particular, the threat of takeover of our water rights by the Federal Government.
I will share a presentation that was given to the Water and Natural Resources Committee of the New Mexico House of Representatives on September 11, 2000, by John Utton of Sheehan, Sheehan & Stelzner, PA. In brief, the presentation explained that the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) has ordered the Fort Sumner Irrigation District (FSID) to cease diverting 30 percent of its water right or face a Federal takeover of its diversion dam because of a possible threat to the bluntnosed shiner.
Click Here to read the presentation and learn more about this vitally important issue.
Anna Crook is a New Mexico State Representative, representing District 64. She is a member of the Taxation and Revenue and Transportation committees. She is also an Interim Member of the following committees: NM Finance Authority Oversight Committee, Revenue Stabilization & Tax Policy Committee, and the Water & Natural Resources Committee.
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