US Supreme Court settles long-running water dispute over dwindling Rio Grande
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court has approved a package of remedies designed to rein in groundwater pumping along one of North America’s longest rivers and ensure enough water reaches Texas from New Mexico reliably, ending a long-running dispute over management of the Rio Grande.
Briefly order The court on Tuesday accepted a private master’s recommendation to proceed with the project The deals were first offered last year by New Mexico, Texas and Colorado.
The agreement calls for reducing groundwater pumping along the declining river and eliminating water rights for irrigated farmland in southern New Mexico. The states adopted the proposal as a promise to restore order to an elaborate system of storing and sharing water between two large irrigation districts in southern New Mexico and western Texas.
“We are excited to redirect resources from costly and lengthy litigation to on-the-ground solutions,” Hanna Riseley-White, director of the Interstate Flow Commission, said Wednesday.
These solutions will include everything from long-term fallow programs to more efficient irrigation infrastructure, developing new water sources such as tapping brackish water sources or importing water, and improving stormwater management so more runoff can be captured and stored.
Researchers warn Unsustainable use of the Rio Grande, which begins in Colorado and extends south to Mexico, threatens the water security of millions of people who depend on the binational river basin.
Farmers in southern New Mexico have increasingly turned to groundwater to irrigate pecan orchards and chile crops in recent years as warmer, drier conditions reduce river flow and storage. This pumping is what prompted Texas to file a lawsuit in 2013, claiming the practice reduced water delivery.
while Colorado River The experts making all the headlines say the situation on the Rio Grande is just as dire. The portion of the river north to Albuquerque is expected to dry out again this year; This is the third time in five years.
The agreement package provides a detailed accounting system for water sharing with Texas. New Mexico can rely on loans and loans from year to year to navigate drought and wet periods, but could be liable for additional water-sharing obligations if deliveries are delayed for too long.
Under the agreement, New Mexico must reduce its annual groundwater consumption by 18,200 acre-feet, or about 5.9 billion gallons (22.3 billion liters), over the next 10 years. The commitment includes completing half of this within the next five years.
That represents about 5% to 7% of current groundwater use in the lower Rio Grande, Riseley-White said. The agreement does not specify which sector the water savings come from, so industry and municipalities can also partner with the state to implement the mandates, he said.
Still, officials expect to get most of the necessary reductions by purchasing water rights from the agricultural industry, meaning more farmland will be retired.
Listening sessions are continuing this week, with initial purchases expected to begin later this year, Riseley-White said. He said New Mexico has provided more than $40 million in federal funding to support the effort.
