By ANJALI BEAN
Coalition for the Strategic Water Reserve
“Agua es Vida” – Water is Life. We read it and hear it and say it all across New Mexico, all the time. But our life is draining away as New Mexico faces unprecedented challenges to our water resources. To address these challenges, we need a wide range of water management tools, including a fully funded Strategic Water Reserve.
Every year across the Land of Enchantment, farmers are having to make do with less water, cities and towns are working to find new ways of conserving and reducing demand, and imperiled species are being pushed closer to the brink of extinction as rivers vanish. Flows in the Rio Grande have declined by 35% in the 21 st century under an already two-decade long process of aridification. Increasing temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, and declining river flows all place higher stress on plants, wildlife and communities dependent on flowing rivers and full reservoirs.
Climate change projections tell us that these water shortages will only become more severe in future years. It has never been more important to put in place sustainable and climate resilient water management systems that can meet the needs of all users even as our water supply diminishes.
One critical tool that can help us get there is the Strategic Water Reserve. Enacted in 2005 with bipartisan support, the Strategic Water Reserve allows the state to buy, lease, and hold water rights in our rivers to meet the needs of endangered species and to send enough water downstream to keep New Mexico in compliance with the water agreements we have made with our neighboring states, helping to prevent costly litigation.
When the Reserve was created, it received initial funding of $5 million. Those dollars were used to lease and purchase water from willing sellers and lessors, primarily along the Pecos and Rio Grande rivers. More recently, the Jicarilla Apache Nation partnered with The Nature Conservancy and the NM Interstate Stream Commission to negotiate the largest ever lease under the Reserve, along the San Juan River in northwestern New Mexico, which will not only benefit endangered species but also help our state meet its obligations under the Colorado River Compact.
However, the Strategic Reserve has struggled to secure consistent funding following the economic crash of 2008, when appropriations were zeroed out and never fully restored. Since then, the funding has been small and sporadic, limiting its effectiveness. Today there is less than $1 million in the Strategic Water Reserve’s account.
In order to secure New Mexico’s water future, we must make a substantial investment of funding into the Strategic Water Reserve. The timing is perfect, as the state is currently benefiting from record revenue surpluses estimated at $3.6 billion next year. An investment of $25 million, less than 1% of this surplus, would give the Reserve the financial resources it needs to work well for years to come.
As climate change continues to threaten the water security of our state, we urge lawmakers to prioritize funding for the Strategic Water Reserve and ensure that this important water management tool is ready to effectively meet the challenges ahead and help us achieve a secure and equitable water future for New Mexico.
The Coalition for the Strategic Water Reserve includes Amigos Bravos, Audubon Southwest, Conservation Voters of New Mexico, Friends of the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico Wild, Sierra Club – Rio Grande Chapter, Think New Mexico, Western Resource Advocates, WildEarth Guardians, and other organizations with thousands of members across New Mexico and the greater American West.