Farmers in Corrales said they are on the verge of losing property and businesses that have been in their families for decades due to aging infrastructure and continuing drought conditions.
Wagner Farms in Corrales dates back 60 years from when crops were first planted, according to KOB 4.
“They’re just drying up; we’ve lost our crops, the apples,” co-owner Jimmy Wagner said. “That’s our livelihood; we feed thousands of people and we try to keep it at a good price.”
Wagner Farms covers more than 30 acres and its crops are normally watered at least four times at this point in the year. But, due to drought conditions, there has been enough water for just one soaking, KOB 4 reported. That is putting the crops in danger of being lost.
“We might lose this orchard, and my dad planted it 60 years ago,” Anthony Wagner, Jimmy’s brother and co-owner of Wagner Farms, told KOB 4.
Other farmers are suffering similar hardships.
“I don’t know if I’ll be able to grow fruit again or not,” Rudy Perea, the owner of Corrales Orchards, said. “When you lose the trees, it takes 10 years for them to produce. It’s not like planting chile or corn.”
Chile farmers are complaining as well.
“I’ve been growing chile all my life, and this is the worst year I’ve ever ever had,” Tony Tafoya said. “I don’t know if I’m going to have a crop at all this year.”
Apparently, it is not all Mother Nature’s fault.
A broken siphon north of Corrales impacted the water supply from the Rio Grande River, according to KOB 4. To address the problem, the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District approved $1 million for water irrigation provided by a new pumping system.
“When we discovered the size of the hole and the extent and the ability of fixing the siphon was just not possible with the timeframe needed before irrigation season was going to start,” Jason Casuga, CEO and chief engineer for the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District, told KOB 4. “Just based on my experience and knowing how wide the river is, if we’re going to try to either put a new pipe in there or line, I expect that it’s going to be quite expensive.”
A pair of diesel-powered pumps draw water directly from the Rio Grande and into the Corrales main canal, KOB 4 reported. The pumps operate around the clock, four days a week, but need monitoring while they run and days off for maintenance.
“I am aware and our board is aware of orchards that are in Corrales, and we’re doing everything we can with the resources we have and the people we have to move water there for as long as we can,” Casuga said.
Long-term solutions continue to be explored.
