New Mexico
News and Brews talks water, climate change – NM Political Report
One of the biggest and most important challenges for New Mexico in the upcoming years will be dealing with how climate change impacts water availability in the state. That was one of the key messages at a panel discussion hosted by NM Political Report on Thursday as part of its News and Brew live event […]
One of the biggest and most important challenges for New Mexico in the upcoming years will be dealing with how climate change impacts water availability in the state.
That was one of the key messages at a panel discussion hosted by NM Political Report on Thursday as part of its News and Brew live event series.
NM Political Report Environment Reporter Hannah Grover moderated a discussion with Daniel Timmons, the Wild Rivers Program Director with Wild Earth Guardians, and Page Pegram, the Rio Grande Bureau Chief with the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission.
“One way or another we need to reduce the amount of water in irrigated agriculture,” Timmons said, of the annual deficit of water in New Mexico. He said the current process of “trying to do this on an annual basis” was not going to solve the problem.
He said this needs to be done in a “smart” and “equitable” way, including finding more low-water-use crops for farmers.
Pegram said there are a few different tools to address this, some that could be done immediately and others that would take other action.
“We can manage our reservoirs differently,” she said.
She noted that reservoirs in the higher elevation and cooler northern New Mexico are more efficient than Elephant Butte, which has high levels of evaporation. And storing water underground in aquifers was another option.
“There’s no evaporation underground,” she said.
Changing what water can be stored in which aquifer would take an act of Congress.
She said that the state is committed to working with all stakeholders to reduce water use in New Mexico.
“If that means developing water shortage agreements… we’re committed to doing that in a fair and equitable way,” she said.
The federal government is heavily involved in water issues throughout the western United States, including New Mexico. The largest part of thai is the Rio Grande Compact, which the federal government ratified in 1939 as an agreement on how to allocate Rio Grande water between Colorado, New Mexico and Texas.
In recent years, this has become a bone of contention, with Texas filing a lawsuit against New Mexico.
“The complaint in the lawsuit wasn’t even about the compact itself, it was what happens beyond the compact,” Pegram said. The issue related to groundwater pumping south of Elephant Butte; water stored in Elephant Butte is considered Texas’ water.
The three states came to an agreement, but the federal government stepped in and said they needed to be involved in the process. Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court backed the federal government.
“Now we’re almost back to square one. It’s kind of ridiculous. It’s a ridiculous catch-22 situation,” Pegram said.
She noted that the state is currently 128,000 acre-feet in debt to Texas, and that debt continues to grow. Once that debt hits 200,000 acre-feet, New Mexico would find itself in more hot water.
Timmons said one problem is that New Mexico does not manage water in the same way as other Western states.
“The State Engineer has never enforced water rights in the middle Rio Grande,” Timmons said, saying that the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District has never proven how much water it is entitled to.
Pegram agreed, but said, “Just wait.”
The panel discussed other issues, including the Rio Grande running dry, the role of sedimentation in the Rio Grande ecosystem and the role of snowpack versus that of monsoons in water issues.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A local business owner estimates he suffered about $1 million in damages as the result of yet another fire at a South Valley recycling plant.
Town Recycling on Broadway Blvd. SE has witnessed two fires in a span of less than two weeks with the first happening May 23rd and the second occurring Tuesday of this week.
Khalil Samaha, who owns Samcar, Inc. and Cedar’s Construction next door, says his businesses escaped without serious damage from the first fire, but the second one led to the loss of his main building, inventory he sells including trucks, construction equipment, computers, records, and much more.
“It’s a total mess. Everything is on the ground with water and insulation. It’s a total loss,” he said.
He gave KOB 4 a tour of his damaged property Wednesday and says that county officials have condemned the main office and won’t let him back inside.
“You can see all the glass is popped,” he said pointing to the windows. “I don’t know if the firefighters broke them or they exploded.”
A spokesperson for Bernalillo County Fire and Rescue issued a statement saying that, based on witness accounts, both fires may have started in a “bale of cardboard” at the recycling facility.
As of Wednesday evening, Broadway between Prosperity and Rio Bravo remained closed.
Samaha says firefighters attempted to battle the second fire from a different area than the first and the wind may have made conditions tougher.
“This time, the wind didn’t help,” he said. “So, it was blowing in my direction and took the building and some equipment in the back.”
Having seen two fires at the neighboring recycling facility in a span of about 11 days, he wonders if this will finally be the end of it.
“I hope it’s the last time. But, worried? Yes, we are worried,” he said. “We are close to them, and the materials are close to the fence. We share the fence together, so it’s always in the back of your mind.”
And now he lives with the memory of how quickly everything can change – just like it did earlier this week.
“It was very quick. From the smoke to the flame to the fire, it was very, very quick.”
A representative of Town Recycling declined our request for an interview.
LAS VEGAS, N.M. – New Mexico Highlands University President Niel Woolf has sued the school, claiming leaders pushed him to redirect a $600,000 contract to a chairman’s friend.
Woolf filed the lawsuit after the university placed him on administrative leave at the beginning of May.
He says Board of Regents Chair Frank Sanchez told him to cancel a $600,000 agreement with an out-of-state contractor and give it to a local contractor.
Woolf says that company is led by a friend of both Sanchez and his brother-in-law, Sen. Pete Campos, who represents Las Vegas.
In the lawsuit, Woolf says Sanchez told him directing the funds to his friend would “go a long way towards securing money for the University from Senator Campos,” said Woolf.
Woolf is seeking damages and attorney’s fees under the New Mexico Whistleblower Protection Act.
CHAMA, N.M. – The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad will begin its summer season on Tuesday, June 9, after the railroad delayed its opening due to drought and wildfire danger.
The season was initially set to begin on May 23. The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad Commission said it would conduct a review on June 2 to determine if it was safe enough to begin operations.
“A sincere thank you to all our passengers and the communities in Chama and Antonito who have been so patient as we waited for conditions to improve,” said Eric Mason, CEO of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. “We are excited to welcome guests back aboard and hear the opening whistle signal the start of another memorable season.”
The railroad will hold a Grand Opening Celebration on Saturday, June 13, in Chama. The celebration will coincide with Chama Western Heritage Days, a community festival that weekend with live music, vendors, and rodeo competitions.
The railroad recently won USA TODAY’S poll for the best scenic train ride in the country. In celebration of the win, the railroad said passengers who book by June 7 ca receive a 25% discount on coach tickets for trips through August. Guests must redeem the offer by calling the railroad at 888-286-2737 using promo code USATODAY#1.
Tickets are also available for the first Dark Sky Train departures on June 12 from Chama and June 13 from Antonito. The dark sky trains include evening excursions led by international dark sky guides, and take passengers to secluded spots with minimal light pollution.
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