Rio Grande flowing in southern New Mexico as irrigation season wraps up

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — The irrigation season will be wrapping up at the end of the month in southern New Mexico, meaning residents will have about a month to enjoy water in the Rio Grande.

The river usually flows in the southern part of the state for only a few months each summer as farmers get their irrigation allotments. Water managers have called this season a success given that there were increased allotments due to more supply from snowpack and spring runoff.

Gary Esslinger, the head of the Elephant Butte Irrigation District, told the Las Cruces Sun-News that farmers were able to extend their water orders into the hottest summer on record.

Heat waves consisting of consecutive days of triple-digit temperatures have plagued New Mexico and other parts of the West all summer. Las Cruces has logged 19 days with highs of 105 degrees Fahrenheit (40.6 Celsius) or more to set a new record, according to the National Weather Service.

While the irrigation district will cease to deliver water orders next Friday, the monsoon may still produce moisture for crops. The summer rainy season officially began June 15 and lasts through the end of September.

One of the longest rivers in North America, the Rio Grande supplies cities and farmers from southern Colorado and New Mexico into Texas. The U.S. Supreme Court is due to consider a proposed settlement among the states that would end a yearslong fight over management of the river, a key decision that will be made as the region sees dwindling supplies and increasing pressures from climate change.

State climatologist David DuBois said Las Cruces is experiencing the driest year on record. Between Jan. 1 and Aug. 8, only 1.67 inches (42 millimeters) of precipitation has been recorded at a gauge on the New Mexico State University campus. By this time in 2022, the gauge had recorded 4.48 inches (114 millimeters).