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.
We estimate that only half (48%) of water directly consumed for anthropogenic purposes is supported by renewable replenishment; the other half (52%) has been unsustainable, meaning that it is causing depletion of reservoirs, aquifers, and river flows. The over-consumption of renewable water supplies is primarily due to irrigated agriculture, which accounts for 87% of direct […]