Water Planning
Water Rights … and Water Wrongs
While the rules about them are extremely complicated, “water rights” are simply your permission slip from the State to use water, if you can find it (often a big “if”). ll too often people conflate paper water and wet water. The results can be seriously misleading or worse.
Read MoreClean Water in New Mexico
Climate warming and water supply reductions also produce a range of subsequent adverse effects on the quality of our surface waters, which are forecast to impact both human and environmental health negatively. These effects also require our increased focus and concern.
Read MoreFrom the President’s Desk
My first day of November began with a reflective walk along the Rio Grande. From one day to the next, the river had transformed from a trickle to a surge.
Read MoreTo Thrive in a Climate-Challenged World, New Mexicans Should Govern Water as a Commons
by John R. Brown This essay argues for an alternative to a mechanistic application of “priority administration” to allocate the “waters of New Mexico.” The 2023 Water Security Planning Act (WSP) provides flexibility at local and regional levels to move water and share shortages more democratically and intentionally. It allows us to think anew about…
Read MoreWater Planning: Shadows of our Future Ancestors
by Laurie McCann “From its first rock in the sky to its last embrace by the estuary at the sea, the river has been surrounded by forces and elements constantly moving and dynamic, interacting to produce its life and character. It has taken ocean and sky; the bearing of winds and the vagary of temperature;…
Read MoreProgress Is Accelerating. Think Water – Act Now.
At this juncture, New Mexico and the Middle Rio Grande stand on the precipice, necessitating unified, swift action to combat looming water challenges. With the legal framework now in place, we must now establish collaborative regional water security planning councils across New Mexico.
Read MoreThe Urgent State of the Rio Grande
Water is Life! Our fight against escalating water consumption and the impending scarcity demands unified, concerted efforts from all sectors and communities. It is essential to align on the objective of water conservation and embark on sustainable practices immediately. The onus is not on the State alone; it’s a collective responsibility to ensure the preservation and sustainability of water resources for the generations to follow.
Read MoreFrom the President’s Desk
September was a pivotal month in advancing equitable adaptation to escalating water scarcity within the Middle Rio Grande. Please follow our work and attend our October and November events.
Read MoreUNM’s Middle Rio Grande Water Data Dashboard: Status Report & What’s Next
The Water Data Dashboard will be online at the end of this semester as an interactive website prototype with integrated graphic views and drill-down features, illustrating where our water comes from, where it is going, and what we need to know but don’t.
Read MoreThe 2024 Legislature Must Think Water: Act Now!
Wake Up New Mexico. Collectively, we are asleep at the wheel. Our collective inaction puts our water security, and therefore our economic security, at risk.
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