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.
New basin-wide science shows groundwater depletion in New Mexico is already well documented and driven primarily by irrigated agriculture. This long-form analysis explains why the remaining barrier is not science or authority, but the failure to institutionalize groundwater governance.