Join us for a workshop with two Bernalillo County Commissioners who also serve on the Water Utility Authority board. Their communities are directly affected by the Middle Rio Grande’s water crisis.
They will share their perspectives on local steps that could help the state avoid a new violation of the Rio Grande Compact caused by overuse in the Middle Rio Grande—and on how to build lasting regional cooperation for sustainable water use. Strong local leadership and public engagement are essential. Don’t miss this important discussion.
Join us to see groundwater in a different light. New Mexicans depend more on groundwater than residents of any other state. Despite groundwater’s importance to New Mexico’s economy, communities, agriculture, and ecosystems, proactive management of groundwater in the state is the exception, rather than the rule. Learn why and how we must be more proactive and maintain and manage our aquifers and groundwater for sustained use, and learn about how groundwater management is evolving across the West. Bring any and all questions about groundwater, and let’s have a lively discussion about this hidden and “magical” resource.
Join us for the next great presentation from State Engineer General Counsel Nat Chakeres about the Middle Rio Grande’s unrecognized water crisis. The Office of the State Engineer’s actions are needed to keep New Mexico out of another Texas lawsuit focused on the Middle Rio Grande, the river segment between the Los Alamos highway bridge and Elephant Butte. Don’t miss State Engineer General Counsel’s presentation, Carrots and Sticks for Achieving Rio Grande Compact Compliance, Part II.
Join the New Mexico Water Dialogue for its milestone 30th Annual Meeting in Albuquerque, NM. This year’s event focuses on increasing regional engagement in water planning and taking action to navigate a future of increasing hydrologic scarcity and variability. Discussions will explore ways to leverage existing tools and develop new strategies to support informed decision-making at the community level. Visit nmwaterdialogue.org for more information.
Registration is open now. Secure your spot at: Eventbrite Registration.
Join us for “New Mexico Rural Water Perspectives,” a workshop featuring three experts on rural water challenges. The 2022 NM Water Policy Task Force Report highlights critical recommendations to address the safety and security of drinking water supplies and the proper operation of wastewater systems in rural New Mexico. Our panelists will provide insights into how the state and others are responding to these challenges and what actions are needed to ensure a sustainable drinking water supply for rural New Mexicans.
Join State Senator Harold Pope, Jr. and New Mexico Water Ambassadors Dr. Ladona Clayton and Patrick McCarthy to hear about outcomes of the 2025 Legislature, what water laws were passed, where water funding was appropriated, the water issues that were funded, and the water priorities that were not. Hear their suggestions for advocates this year to obtain better water resources management funding outcomes from the 2026 Legislature.
Join us for a discussion with Mariel Nanasi and Melissa Troutman regarding the Governor’s “Strategic Water Supply.” The name of the project is extremely misleading. The Governor wants to subsidize private projects to provide industrial water supplies from oilfield produced water or deep brackish groundwater. Treatment will be incredibly expensive; the carbon footprint immense. These ideas don’t make sense.
Spend time with our experts to learn why this detrimental water program is infeasible and takes time, energy, and money away from serious water planning, modernization, and water rights enforcement.
Join three professionals who worked as members of the 2022 NM Water Policy and Infrastructure Task Force to learn about the Water Security Agenda for the 2025 Legislature. The plain truth is the Legislature has, for years, neglected to adequately fund implementation of the laws it has passed and the programs it has started to increase the resilience of New Mexico’s overused and shrinking water supplies. Modernization of state water agencies, robust regional water security planning, and stopping illegal water overuse are essential steps toward improved water security for all New Mexico regions and communities.
Our panel in February featured Tricia Snyder from New Mexico Wilderness Alliance, Sammi Kao from Conservation Voters New Mexico and Gabby O’Keefe from Lavendr. Tricia and Sammi reported on the water funding and policy actions of the 2024 Legislature. Gabby told us why it’s so important to have creative translation of complex matters of water and climate science, water facts, and water policies issues for the general public in order to gain more awareness and respectful demand for the transformative change New Mexico’s water future requires.
NOTE: Correction on the video: Tricia’s fifth slide in the video indicates $5M for the River Stewardship Program. That amount was requested; the actual legislative allocation was $3.25M.
This interactive workshop had a panel of three former members of the 2022 State Engineer’s Water Policy and Infrastructure Task Force, Phil King, Ladona Clayton, and Norm Gaume. The panelists are working together currently as NM Water Ambassadors. The Water Ambassadors joint purpose is to advocate for all the water task force recommendations. The panelists each presented their highest priorities for water funding and policy, and why. The joint funding requests to the 2024 Legislature of Dr. Ladona Clayton, Executive Director, Ogallala Land and Water Conservancy, and Norm Gaume, P.E. (ret), President, Water Advocates, are available here.