Opportunity Costs

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 earnestly make this plea that the 2025 Legislature fund FY26 Special Appropriations as recommended herein to implement these laws, based on the well-reasoned analysis laid out in this special newsletter written for New Mexico legislators and water agency executives.  The total requested is $62 million in non-recurring funding for expenditure through FY28 by the Office of the State Engineer and the Interstate Stream Commission to do urgent and critically important work that only the State of New Mexico can do. An additional $30 million, as requested by the Governor, must be appropriated for the scientists at the Bureau of Geology to characterize New Mexico’s groundwater.

New Mexico’s water future hinges on making wise choices today.  While innovative solutions and sustainable practices offer a path to water security, distractions, and short-sighted decisions can lead us down a dangerous road. When we fail to prioritize sustainable water management, we jeopardize the very foundation of our communities, economy, and environment.

Ignoring the principles of conservation, efficiency, and equitable water sharing sets in motion a cascade of consequences.  Aquifers are depleted, rivers dwindle, and ecosystems suffer. Conflicts over scarce resources intensify, and the most vulnerable among us bear the brunt of water insecurity.  Economic opportunities dry up as businesses and agriculture struggle with unreliable water supplies.

The longer we delay embracing sustainable solutions, the more difficult and costly the path to recovery becomes.  Each missed opportunity to invest in water-wise infrastructure, modernize outdated water laws, and promote responsible water use deepens the crisis and limits our options for the future.

Potential lost opportunities include critical oversights such as:

• Failing to fund the implementation of key legislation: Laws passed to improve water management, like those enabling active administration of Rio Grande water, ensuring public access to water data, and supporting regional water planning, lack the necessary funding to be effective.
• Neglecting the maintenance of existing infrastructure: Aging dams, canals, and pipelines are deteriorating, leading to significant water loss and increased vulnerability to drought and floods. Some municipalities lose more than half the water to leaks. Expensive water and wastewater infrastructure fails too early and often. 
• Overlooking the importance of data collection and analysis: Inadequate state investment in water data collection and analysis and modern information technology hinders informed decision-making and effective water management. NM hasn’t done its water resources characterization and monitoring homework.

We cannot afford to gamble with our water future.  The time for action is now—every day we delay, we lose precious opportunities to secure a sustainable water future. 

By embracing a holistic approach to water management, one that prioritizes conservation, equity, and long-term sustainability, we can chart a course toward a thriving New Mexico for generations to come.  Let us choose wisely. The choices we make today will determine the fate of our water and of the ability of future generations to live here.

New Mexico’s legislators and Governor have the resources available to dramatically improve the resilience of New Mexico’s water supplies, including the groundwater we depend on more than any other state. The opportunity costs of not funding implementation of the great water laws passed this century and many other well vetted, consensus recommendations are unacceptable.