Join us to learn State water agency legislation and funding needs to confront New Mexico’s water crises by funding essential work that only the State can do. The Office of the State Engineer / Interstate Stream Commission budget request is a cry for help. Bureau of Geology groundwater science and data programs must be funded to characterize the state’s groundwater resources, both fresh and brackish. The Environment Department requires statutory authority to assume State control of water pollution discharge regulation abandoned by the feds. An invited speaker will summarize the proposed Clear Horizons Act to limit greenhouse gas emissions.
The Middle Rio Grande through Albuquerque dried for 50 days last summer — and this year it could happen even earlier. With reservoirs at historic lows and 85% of New Mexico's Rio Grande water use deemed unsustainable, water managers and advocates say the region faces not a temporary drought but permanent aridification.