Our Water Crisis
Water is the lifeblood of New Mexico’s economy and communities, yet we face a growing crisis of scarcity driven by overuse and climate change.
The stark reality is this: our current path leads to a future where water resources are severely depleted, jeopardizing our environment, economy, and way of life. New Mexico’s economic well-being critically depends on having sufficient water. Without water security, we have no economic security.
We are already in one of the driest periods in the last millennium. As a result of climate change, New Mexico’s best scientists project an average of 25% less streamflow and groundwater recharge within the next 50 years. Rio Grande streamflow under the bridge to Los Alamos has already dropped 25% since 1988. With increased pumping because of drought, dropping groundwater levels across most of the state are accelerating, even to the point of running out. Ongoing overuse, exacerbated by climate change, is a crisis that New Mexico is not facing.
The mission of the Water Advocates is to advocate for a balanced, equitable, and resilient water future for New Mexico through public education and civic participation, with urgent insistence on initiating and accelerating the change necessary for New Mexico’s successful adaptation to increasing water scarcity.
Throughout this site, the Water Advocates provide a detailed understanding of New Mexico’s water crisis, explanations of water use in New Mexico, and feasible solutions.
Our pressing concerns:
- Water Overuse – We continuously overuse water at a time when we need to conserve and equitably share our limited water resources.
- Climate Impact – Climate disruption is creating a more arid environment in our state and depleting water sources.
- Opportunity Costs – Ignoring the challenges and not taking advantage of the opportunities at hand will exponentially increase the crisis.
Read below to learn more about these contributors to the water crisis. See our Solutions section for a discussion on what to do about the crisis and paths for remedial action. To gain a comprehensive understanding of water in New Mexico, from hydrological sources, usage and needs, and related issues, explore About NM Water.
Water Overuse
New Mexicans are consuming more water than is legally allowed or renewable.
This water overuse in New Mexico is a pressing environmental and societal issue with significant implications for both natural ecosystems and communities, large and small. The state’s arid to semi-arid climate, coupled with growing populations and agricultural demands, has led to
an unsustainable rate of water consumption for our future.
Urban utilities have permits to pump groundwater faster than it can be recharged. Farmers have run short of surface water, but those with wells, pump groundwater instead. The water itself is free. Groundwater irrigation water is generally unmetered and unregulated. Failure to recognize these water problems, not knowing how much groundwater we have left, and not realistically planning ahead has created a crisis that we are not yet facing.
Overuse was ruining the Roswell-Artesia artesian aquifer when the 1931 Legislature authorized artesian conservancy districts and a state district judge created the Pecos Valley Artesian Conservancy District. Today, the Roswell-Artesia artesian aquifer is the only managed major aquifer in New Mexico.
Cumulative overuse is ruining other major aquifer systems. The Ogallala aquifer has been pumped virtually dry, creating water supply crises in the communities that this aquifer supplies. Their future has changed forever, consequences of this poster child of water management failure. State administration of pumping still allows overuse that will ruin aquifers for future community use. The State is hands-off regardless of the rate at which the water table is declining or the volume of groundwater remaining. Our acceptance of the failure to rein in overuse will ruin other aquifers as surely as the Ogallala.
The following are some of the more significant causes and problems related to water overuse:
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Climate Impact
Science unequivocally shows that the world’s climate is warming at an alarming rate, primarily due to the increase of greenhouse gasses like carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere.
This warming trend has profound implications for New Mexico. The state has experienced a 3-degree Fahrenheit increase in average temperature since 1970, leading to a cascade of effects that are reducing streamflows and aquifer recharge:
These climate change impacts underscore the urgent need for proactive measures to adapt to a water-scarce future in New Mexico.
This includes implementing water conservation strategies, investing in water infrastructure, developing drought resilience plans, and transitioning to more sustainable water management practices.
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Opportunity Costs
New Mexico’s water future hinges on making wise choices today.
While innovative solutions and sustainable practices offer a path to water security, distractions and short-sighted decisions can lead us down a dangerous road. When we fail to prioritize sustainable management of the water we already have, we jeopardize the very foundation of our communities, economy, and environment. Each kind of additional new (unconventional) supply of water (brackish, oil produced, imported) has its own serious drawbacks – limited available quantities, lack of facts and science, requirement for reliable treatment, legal access, costly infrastructure, and exorbitant energy requirements.
Ignoring the principles of conservation, efficiency, and equitable water sharing sets in motion a cascade of consequences: a quifers are depleted, rivers dwindle, ecosystems suffer, conflicts over scarce resources intensify, and the most vulnerable among us bear the brunt of water insecurity. Further, economic opportunities dry up as existing and new development, businesses, and agriculture struggle with unreliable water supplies.
The longer we divert resources and delay embracing sustainable solutions, the more difficult and costly the path to recovery becomes.
Each missed opportunity to invest in water-wise infrastructure, modernize outdated water laws, and promote responsible water use deepens the crisis and limits our options for the future.
This includes critical oversights such as:
We cannot afford to gamble with our water future. The time for decisive action is now.
By embracing a holistic approach to water management, one that prioritizes conservation, equity, and long-term sustainability, we can chart a course toward a thriving New Mexico for generations to come. Let us choose wisely. The choices we make today will determine the fate of our water and our State tomorrow.
Dive deeper into the complexities of New Mexico’s water in our About NM Water section. Explore the practical and innovative solutions Water Advocates champion in our Solutions section. The time for action is now—every day we delay, we lose precious opportunities to secure a sustainable water future.
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