New Mexico, Texas and Colorado reached a settlement on management of the Rio Grande River but still face opposition from the federal government and two irrigation districts.
New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas recently announced that the states had reached an agreement following months of negotiations on how to distribute the river’s resources, a KRQE report said. While the terms of the agreement remain confidential, Balderas’ office called it “a comprehensive resolution of all the claims in the case.”
“Extreme drought and erratic climate events necessitate that states must work together to protect the Rio Grande, which is the lifeblood of our New Mexico farmers and communities,” Balderas said in a statement, quoted by KRQE. “And I’m very disappointed that the U.S. is exerting federal overreach and standing in the way of the states’ historic water agreement.”
The U.S. Department of Justice and irrigation districts serving farmers downstream of Elephant Butte contend that the proposal is not a workable solution. The Rio Grande is one of the longest rivers in North America and is managed through a system of federal dams and canals under a water-sharing agreement that also includes Mexico.
In a case pending before the U.S. Supreme Court for nearly a decade, Texas has argued that groundwater pumping in southern New Mexico has reduced river flows, limiting how much water makes it across the border. New Mexico argued that it has been shorted on its share of the river.
New Mexico and the other states will submit their motion to move the proposed settlement forward, forcing federal officials and the irrigation districts to respond during a planned hearing in January. The use of the Rio Grande has become a multimillion-dollar case due to increased demand along with drought and warmer temperatures brought on by climate change. New Mexico has spent approximately $21 million on lawyers and scientists over the last nine years.
Officials in the Elephant Butte Irrigation District told farmers to expect another late start to the irrigation season in 2023 and that allotments will again be low.