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Notice of Annual Board Meeting December 3, 2024. The NM Water Advocates Board of Directors will meet Tuesday, December 3, 2024, to conduct annual elections at the 2024 Annual Board Meeting, per our newly adopted bylaws.  Besides progress reports and other business, the agenda includes,

1.  Establishing the number of board members for 2025
2.  Election of Board Members
3.  Election of Officers from the Board
4.  Adoption of FY25 Annual Operating Budget
5   Approval of Limited Delegation of Authority for FY25 Operations
6.  Approval of Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation
A Call for Nominations of Board Members and Officers
Please considering nominate yourself or others if they have agreed to serve if elected and want to be actively involved in the Water Advocates governance.
Please email your nominations no later than November 22, 2024, to info@mrgwateradvocates.org if you wish to be considered for a slate of Directors to be recommended by the Operating Committee .  
Please consider volunteering to serve as Secretary.  

Next Monthly Workshop

6:30 pm November 21, 2024

Interactive workshops are scheduled for the third Thursday of each month (except December) at 6:30pm.

The Plain Truth v. Fracking Waste Reuse Rush

The New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission on Friday, August 8, finished the second full week of its ongoing public hearing on the New Mexico Environment Department wastewater reuse rule. 

NEE's expert witness Justin Nobel testifies

New Energy Economy three experts' "eviscerating testimony" this week was followed by an oilman's truthful answers to incisive questions by Commissioners and NEE's attorneys.

WQCC Chair Dr. Thomson and Member Dominguez listening

Consensus is emerging from the adversarial hearing. Valid scientific research in certified laboratories and scientifically conducted and reported small scale field testing must be permitted only if the research generates information to inform future regulations for reuse of fracking waste off the oil field.

Garden hose size test flows must be the maximum allowed for field pilot testing projects. Environment Department permits must require financial assurance, complete containment and safe, regulated disposal of all residuals.  

 

Our Land’s Laura Paskus is a remarkable journalist with a unique New Mexico talent for telling its environmental and water stories. Laura interviewed Adrian Ogelsby, Director of the Utton Center at the UNM School of Law, Hannah Riseley-White, New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission Director, Jason Casuga, Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District CEO, and Norm Gaume, President, Water Advocates, in 2023, regarding the Rio Grande and New Mexico groundwater.

Click on the names above to view the video recordings at newmexicopbs.org

Listen to Laura's questions and their responses to learn about the state’s water challenges, the importance of interstate river compacts, the possibilities of protecting water for rivers and future generations of New Mexicans, and how people can become involved in water planning. 

Sen. Carrie Hamblen on the New Mexico Legislature and Water Advocacy

3/24/24 President's note: After hearing the Conservation Voters of New Mexico's reasons for selecting New Mexico State Senator Carrie Hamblen, D-Dona Ana for their top Luminaria Award for her climate and energy policy leadership and listening to the senator's acceptance speech, I invited her while she was still at the event to be the featured guest for a Water Advocates 3rd Thursday evening workshop and speaker series. She readily agreed.

I traveled to Las Cruces to interview her for our March workshop.  Sen. Hamblen knew we Water Advocates were seeking advice regarding how to get the legislature to recognize worsening water scarcity as New Mexico's most fundamental, existential problems.

Her insight and observations and motivation for public service impressed and humbled me. Her advice and observations demonstrate what the Fulbright Scholars concluded last year. "Research continues to find problems and propose solutions that don’t reach the people." The legislators are volunteer citizens, unpaid, without staff and their own interests.  They are the people that the research does not reach."

Senator Hamblen gave us valuable insights into what we citizens and state water agencies must do this interim, and who is most important to talk to: the appropriation committee members. I'll have much more on this soon, In our forthcoming April 2024 News.

The interview audio recording with audience questions and answers is available for download here.  The video version is available here

Opportunity Costs

By Executive Council | December 2, 2024

The Governor has allowed water agencies to request badly needed staff capacity improvements but has not provided for the one-time expenses needed to implement the laws and a vastly improved knowledge of New Mexico’s groundwater, recognizing New Mexico is more dependent on groundwater than any other state.    The New Mexico Water Advocates’ respectfully and…

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Water Advocates’ FY 26 Special Appropriations Recommendations 

By Executive Council | December 2, 2024

The Legislature must augment the funding the Governor has permitted the Office of the State Engineer (OSE) and Interstate Stream Commission (ISC) to request by authorizing funds from rich oil and gas revenues to accelerate work that only the State can do to secure New Mexico’s water future.  Implementing three transformative 20th Century water laws and enabling agency programs, including State Engineer water rights enforcement and Bureau of Geology aquifer mapping, requires a large increase in one-time funding. 

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A Vision for New Mexico’s Water Future

By Executive Council | December 2, 2024

What becomes possible when our agencies are well-funded, our water security laws are fully implemented, and we all work together?

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Water Security Agenda

By Executive Council | December 2, 2024

Now is the time to build on these foundation of good water law already on the books.  Fully funding the implementation of key legislation—is crucial for securing our water future. These acts provide a framework for addressing critical water challenges, yet their full potential can only be realized if state water agencies have the capacity to fully implement them.  Here are the essential elements of our water security agenda emphasizing the urgent need for accelerated progress.

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Solutions

By Executive Council | December 2, 2024

While New Mexico’s water situation is dire, there are viable solutions to our water challenges. Growing public awareness, hard-working and innovative state agency staff, and fledgling official actions point to the adaptation we need in the face of much less water resulting from our hotter climate. While productive steps are being taken, far more must be done. Significant funding is needed to accelerate the state government fulfilling its water management and governance roles. 

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Our Water Crisis

By Executive Council | December 2, 2024

Water is the lifeblood of New Mexico’s economy and communities, yet we face a growing crisis of scarcity driven by overuse and climate change.  The stark reality is this: our current path leads to a future where water resources are severely depleted, jeopardizing our environment, economy, and way of life. New Mexico’s economic well-being critically depends on having sufficient water. Without water security, we have no economic security. We are already in one of the driest periods in the last millennium. Due to climate change, New Mexico’s best scientists project an average of 25% less streamflow and groundwater recharge within the next 50 years. Already, Rio Grande streamflow under the bridge to Los Alamos (at the Otowi Gage) has dropped 25% since 1988.  With increased pumping caused by drought, a decrease in groundwater levels are accelerating across most of the state, to the point of complete depletion. Ongoing overuse, exacerbated by climate change, is a crisis that New Mexico is not facing up to. 

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Water Advocates Vision

We envision a balanced water future for New Mexico in which we equitably adapt to climate change and are stewards of our water, thereby preserving our diverse cultures, economy, food production, and natural ecosystems.

We envision that after the 2025 legislative session makes major progress in improving New Mexico's water governance policy and appropriations, we will recognize the 2023 Legislature's unanimous approval of the Water Security Planning Act SB337 (2023), authorizing the new statewide water resilience planning program, as the tipping point leading to accelerating and successful adaptation to life in New Mexico with less water.

Click here for more information on the Water Advocates vision, mission, strategies, and theory of change.  

Explore the Website:

Go to the EVENTS page for announcements of current water happenings.  Read about our PROJECTS.  Sign up for our Email Discussion Forum on the CONTACT page.  Find links to key water information and organizations on the RESOURCES page.  Learn about water management ISSUES. You can also see/hear recordings of previous conferences.

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