Federal drought project seeks public input in Sierra and Doña Ana counties

Federal and local partners are inviting New Mexicans in Sierra and Doña Ana counties to participate this week in planning for projects to address flooding, drought and water conservation in the Lower Rio Grande Basin.

Southern New Mexico faces less water making its way into the Rio Grande, with reliance growing on groundwater from agriculture and, to a smaller extent, cities. Alternatively, storms supercharged by warmer weather have also produced devastating floods in recent years, hitting crops and infrastructure.

Managers for the federal program hope to address the large problems impacting the Lower Rio Grande — such as damage from flooding and sediment building in the river — promote more aquifer recharge with managing storm water and creating or sustaining habitats.

This week marks the first round of public meetings, according to Connie Maxwell, a regional water planner at the New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute, which is leading the outreach.

“Any water user is welcome, and that would mean all of us,” Maxwell said. “Folks actually living in the region have an enormous amount of local knowledge and it really is the community that has the best sense of what the important priorities are.”

In addition, an online survey asks participants to rank the goals for future projects and solicit ideas for development. Residents can also sign up to participate in additional working groups, which are voluntary positions.

“This particular project, it’s not just a planning effort, it’s really focused on implementation,” Maxwell said, noting that water planning often centers on short-term fixes to address flooding in a certain area.

“It’s becoming critical to address the root of the problems at the same time,” she said, adding that one of the efforts will address the feedback loop of pumping more groundwater, and losing recharge.

The survey will be open for several more months, but an initial assessment of submitted projects will begin after June 15, followed by another round of input and project assessments, Maxwell said.

Last May, the U.S. The Department of Interior under the Biden administration awarded nearly $60 million in Inflation Reduction Act funding to develop projects or programs that benefit the network of dams and canals in the Rio Grande Project and endangered species.

The federal funding was allocated to a partnership including the NM WRRI, The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Elephant Butte Irrigation District and nonprofit National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

Whether this program will be impacted by federal cuts, which have included climate programs at other federal agencies, remains unclear.

An emailed request for comment to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation media office regarding the exact funding available for this program had not been returned prior to publication.