Time to Treat Our Aquifers Like Infrastructure

New Mexico is standing at the edge of a crisis that many cannot see—because it lies beneath our feet. Groundwater, our state’s most vital and fragile water source, is vanishing faster than it can be replenished. In Eastern New Mexico, this crisis is no longer a distant threat, because Eastern New Mexico is almost out of water.  The threat is here. It is now.

For those of us working in land and water conservation, especially in the Ogallala Aquifer region, the warning signs have been flashing red for years. The Ogallala Aquifer—one of the largest in the world—underlies eight states and provides life-sustaining water for agriculture, communities, and military installations. But it is a finite, non-renewable resource. In Eastern New Mexico, we are draining it. It’s irreplaceable; the consequences are mounting.

More than 95% of our local groundwater is used for irrigation farming. But irrigation isn’t just “watering crops.” It is water-intensive, industrial-scale pumping that, year after year, removes vast volumes of groundwater from ancient paleochannels—buried drainage channels carved before the aquifer was formed. Because they are the deepest parts of the Ogallala Aquifer, paleochannels hold the last accessible groundwater in the region.

In fact, from 2018 to 2023 alone, we lost more than 20% of the remaining groundwater in the paleochannel region northwest of Cannon Air Force Base.

That loss isn’t just data—it’s a large permanent loss of the remaining water supply.

For every year irrigation farming continues in the paleochannel, we lose the equivalent of four years of future groundwater availability for our communities’ future. At this pace, the aquifer will be functionally depleted over most of the Eastern New Mexico High Plains region by 2028. The 2017 report Lifetime Projections of the High Plains Aquifer in Eastern New Mexico by New Mexico Tech geologists Geoff Rawling and Alex Rinehart warned us—loud and clear—that only about 10 years of water remained for agricultural use in Curry and Roosevelt Counties. We’re nearly there.

Despite its importance, groundwater is too often treated as invisible or secondary—governed inconsistently, measured incompletely, and managed with outdated frameworks.

Emptying the huge but finite Ogallala aquifer is the legacy of policies that reward extraction over conservation, like an economy based on mining.  We learned the finite limits of Ogallala Aquifer groundwater and then did nothing to reduce its rapid and thorough depletion.  Supplemental wells were authorized and drilled to restore production volumes as the saturated groundwater zone thinned. High commodity prices incentivized water-intensive crops. Meanwhile, severe sustained drought accelerated groundwater pumping to replace the absent precipitation. Climate change increased evapotranspiration.

Statewide, many communities face similar concerns. Groundwater supports not only agriculture, but drinking water systems, ecosystems, and industrial sectors across New Mexico. Yet despite its importance, groundwater is too often treated as invisible or secondary—governed inconsistently, measured incompletely, and managed with outdated frameworks.

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But it’s not too late—if we act decisively and collaboratively.

And to lead, we must understand the full picture.

That begins by recognizing that groundwater is infrastructure. It may not be visible like a road or a dam, but it functions as the underlying support system for our economy, food supply, ecosystems, and national defense. Without it, communities cannot survive, agriculture cannot function, and our military readiness is compromised.

Recognize that groundwater is neglected infrastructure. Without it, communities cannot survive

We don’t think twice about maintaining highways or reinforcing bridges—yet we often overlook the aquifers beneath us that make everyday life in New Mexico possible. Groundwater storage and availability should be treated with the same level of urgency and investment as any other critical asset. Groundwater expert Maurice Hall puts it plainly: we must stop treating groundwater as a passive byproduct of weather and start managing it as the lifeline it is.

That’s why we’re honored to feature Maurice in this month’s Water Advocates speaker series. His upcoming workshop—“Groundwater as Essential Infrastructure”—invites us to rethink how we view, manage, and protect this hidden but essential resource. He’ll explore why New Mexico depends more heavily on groundwater than any other state and why proactive management has been the exception—not the rule.

Join us June 19 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. for this important conversation.

The water beneath our feet is not just a resource—it’s the infrastructure of survival

Maurice will also share how groundwater governance is evolving across the West, offering insight into new models of aquifer stewardship, state policy, and collaborative action. Whether you’re a producer, policymaker, planner, or community leader, this session will open your eyes to what’s possible when we begin to treat groundwater not as an afterthought, but as a foundation for the future.

Bring your questions. Bring your ideas. Bring your commitment. Because the water beneath our feet is not just a resource—it’s the infrastructure of survival, and it’s time we start treating it that way.

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/Zugf2LXrS0WF3e-XgI8zUw

Dr. Ladona Clayton is Executive Director of the Ogallala Land & Water Conservancy and a NM Water Advocates board member and volunteer. Ladona is leading water conservation efforts in Curry County in an official collaboration that includes Clovis, Curry County, Cannon Air Force Base, and local irrigators.