{"id":584732,"date":"2018-05-24T08:00:47","date_gmt":"2018-05-24T14:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/?p=584732"},"modified":"2018-05-25T11:04:46","modified_gmt":"2018-05-25T17:04:46","slug":"nm-back-under-water-storage-restrictions-on-the-rio-grande","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2018\/05\/nm-back-under-water-storage-restrictions-on-the-rio-grande\/","title":{"rendered":"NM back under water storage restrictions on the Rio Grande"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_584737\"  class=\"wp-caption module image alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 771px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-584737\" src=\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Abiquiu-Lake-771x579.jpg\" alt=\"Abiquiu Lake\" width=\"771\" height=\"579\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Abiquiu-Lake-771x579.jpg 771w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Abiquiu-Lake-336x252.jpg 336w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Abiquiu-Lake-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Abiquiu-Lake.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Abiquiu-Lake-800x600.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px\" \/><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Laura Paskus \/ New Mexico Political Report<\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Abiquiu Lake on the Chama River, a tributary of the Rio Grande.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Despite the rains that doused parts of New Mexico on Monday, the state officially entered into drought conditions on the Rio Grande when water levels in two key reservoirs dipped below a critical legal threshold.<\/p>\n<p>On Sunday, New Mexico entered into Article VII restrictions as storage in Elephant Butte and Caballo reservoirs dropped below 400,000 acre-feet. Under\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.usbr.gov\/uc\/albuq\/water\/RioGrande\/pdf\/Rio_Grande_Compact.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Article VII<\/a>\u00a0of the Rio Grande Compact, that means Colorado and New Mexico can\u2019t store water in any upstream reservoirs built after 1929.<\/p>\n<p>In the Rio Grande watershed, reservoirs capture and store native Rio Grande water and water piped from northwestern New Mexico via the San Juan-Chama Project. Each drop is earmarked for particular users and managed under the legal strictures of the compact.<\/p>\n<p>Elephant Butte and Caballo reservoirs, for example, hold Rio Grande Project water for users in Southern New Mexico and Texas. Heron, El Vado and Abiquiu reservoirs on the Chama River store water for cities like Albuquerque and Santa Fe, farmers and the six Middle Rio Grande pueblos. Cochiti Reservoir stores some San Juan-Chama water, but was built for recreation and flood control purposes.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"module align-left half type-aside\">\n<h3>About this article<\/h3>\n<p>This article comes from\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/nmpoliticalreport.com\/839751\/new-mexico-back-under-water-storage-restrictions-on-the-rio-grande-en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">New Mexico Political Report<\/a>,\u00a0a nonprofit news organization\u00a0focused on promoting a greater public understanding of politics and policy in the state of New Mexico.<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Entering into Article VII restrictions wasn\u2019t a surprise. U.S. Bureau of Reclamation officials have been warning since earlier this year that it would happen, due to the low snowpack and low spring runoff.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cArticle VII restrictions are aimed at protecting the water supply of the Rio Grande Project,\u201d explained Reclamation spokeswoman Mary Carlson. \u201cHowever, with little to no runoff remaining upstream and the most optimistic [National Resources Conservation Service] forecast predicting zero inflow into Elephant Butte Reservoir, conditions on the project are unlikely to change much even with these restrictions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The issue merits a close eye given the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/droughtmonitor.unl.edu\/CurrentMap\/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?NM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">state\u2019s drought conditions<\/a>\u00a0and an interstate lawsuit over the waters of the Rio Grande. Currently,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/nmpoliticalreport.com\/series\/texas-v-new-mexico-scotus\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">New Mexico is being sued<\/a>\u00a0in the U.S. Supreme Court by Texas and the federal government. The two parties allege that by allowing farmers in Southern New Mexico to pump groundwater from near the Rio Grande, New Mexico failed for decades to send its legal share of water downstream.<\/p>\n<p>Monsoon storms might provide some relief on the Rio Grande, but water from just one storm, or even several, can\u2019t come close to making up the deficit. Speaking at a\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/nmpoliticalreport.com\/838092\/given-drought-and-dropping-reservoirs-water-issues-critical-for-next-governor-en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">water conference<\/a>\u00a0last week, Bruce Thomson explained that flows in the Rio Grande are dominated by snowpack and receive little benefit from monsoons.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSummer precipitation is very nice, but in terms of actual runoff, there is very little actual contribution,\u201d said Thomson, professor emeritus and research professor at the University of New Mexico\u2019s Department of Civil Engineering.<\/p>\n<h3>Pulse of water<\/h3>\n<p>By the time New Mexico entered into Article VII restrictions on May 20, about 20 miles were already dry through the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, extending upstream through San Antonio and toward Socorro.\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/nmpoliticalreport.com\/822352\/its-only-april-and-a-stretch-of-the-rio-grande-has-already-dried-en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Drying began in early April, months earlier than in typical years.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Carlson said water managers and biologists from Reclamation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District, the six Middle Rio Grande pueblos and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service coordinate daily on river flows.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are working closely with our partners who have already created two small operational pulses to help the Rio Grande silvery minnow to spawn,\u201d she said. \u201cThe most recent appears to have been successful based on early egg detection in the Middle Rio Grande.\u201d<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>She added that the federal government continues efforts to lease all available San Juan-Chama Project water to supplement Rio Grande flows, as well.<\/p>\n<p>Combined with a planned release of water at the Isleta Diversion Dam, she said, water from Monday\u2019s storm created a pulse that will help silvery minnows spawn. Crews collect the eggs, then bring them to hatcheries, where the fish are raised and eventually released back into the river.<\/p>\n<p>As for farmers in the Middle Rio Grande, hydrologist David Gensler says the storage restrictions shouldn\u2019t affect deliveries. Gensler works for the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District, which delivers water to farmers from Cochiti to south of Socorro.<\/p>\n<p>Article VII will prevent them from storing water, he said, but it\u2019s a \u201cmoot point.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMainstem flows out of Colorado have been so low that we have been releasing from storage for the last 3 weeks just to meet [Middle Rio Grande] demand,\u201d he wrote in an email prior to the official Article VII designation. \u201cThe runoff has come and gone, and there isn\u2019t enough to store.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The restrictions could affect the district later in the summer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShould we have a wet summer, and flows at La Puente do come up, then we will be unable to store excess water,\u201d he said. La Puente is on the Chama River, above El Vado Dam. \u201cThat would be disappointing, but for the most part storing water in the summer is rare anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>NM officials remain silent on drought<\/h3>\n<p>Since last Thursday,\u00a0<i>NM Political Report<\/i>\u00a0has been requesting information from the state about the New Mexico Governor\u2019s Drought Task Force, which does not appear to have convened since 2015.<\/p>\n<p>The\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.nmdrought.state.nm.us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">task force website<\/a>\u00a0remains live, though many of its links are broken and the most recent report, with recommendations related to water management, legislation, and agricultural programs,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.nmdrought.state.nm.us\/dtf_planning.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">is from 2008<\/a>. It\u2019s unclear if the state has updated its drought plan\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.nmdrought.state.nm.us\/dtf_planning.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">from 2006<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>According to the website, the task force is chaired by the State Engineer and \u201cincludes experts in water, the environment, wildfires, New Mexico recreation, agriculture and health.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><i>NM Political Report<\/i>\u00a0repeatedly reached out to five state officials \u2014 three public information officers who work for the Office of the Governor and two employees of the Office of the State Engineer \u2014 none of whom responded.<\/p>\n<p>U.S. Sen. Tom Udall said invoking Article VII this early in the year is a \u201cwake-up call\u201d and a \u201csign of the \u2018new normal.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRivers like the Rio Grande are under intense pressure right now from climate change and from development,\u201d Udall told\u00a0<i>NM Political Report<\/i>. \u201cWe need to cooperate to prevent an all-out crisis with water in the West. Everyone in New Mexico has a stake \u2014 families, farmers, businesses and leaders at every level of government.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He added that, as scientists continue to show that surface water supplies are at risk, New Mexicans should treat persistent drought as a fundamental shift in the region\u2019s climate \u2014 a shift that will affect the long-term economy, politics and culture of the southwestern United States.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRight now, we\u2019re working with old water infrastructure and even older water laws \u2014 while facing 21st Century challenges,\u201d he said. \u201cMany of the changes will not be easy, but New Mexicans know that water is life, and we must face the future together, because we don\u2019t have any water to waste.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As the Rio Grande dries \u2014 officials anticipate it will dry later this spring or summer in the Albuquerque area \u2014 the state\u2019s water issues will become more visible to residents and visitors.<\/p>\n<p>People should remember this is the desert, Carlson said, and New Mexico doesn\u2019t sit on endless pools of underground water.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAlthough the water that we save in our daily activities at home, school and work may not immediately impact the Rio Grande this year, we must remember the big picture,\u201d she said. \u201cOur water systems are all connected and overuse of water in some areas impacts the amount of water available in our rivers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She also said cities like Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Las Cruces and El Paso have done a \u201ctremendous job\u201d educating residents about water conservation and reducing water use.<\/p>\n<p>Lastly, she urged people to visit the state\u2019s reservoirs sooner rather than later.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur reservoirs are starting this summer at a good point,\u201d she said. \u201cAlthough water levels are expected to decrease significantly as the summer goes on, they are all in a good position to provide great recreation for this Memorial Day weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>New Mexico was out of Article VII restrictions from 1978 through July 2, 2002. Since then the state has gone in and out of the restrictions about 20 times, most recently from August 2017 to December 2017.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The issue merits a close eye given the\u00a0state\u2019s drought conditions\u00a0and an interstate lawsuit over the waters of the Rio Grande.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":584737,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[147,277],"class_list":["post-584732","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-and-analysis","tag-environment","tag-water"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/584732","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=584732"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/584732\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/584737"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=584732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=584732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=584732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}