Challenging times are ahead on the Rio Grande

Drought, climate change impact flows on New Mexico’s river

By Hannah Grover
Courtesy of NM News

Roberto E. Rosales / City Desk ABQ

Flows in the Rio Grande at the Otowi Bridge are at 34% of the historical median for this time of year and water levels in Elephant Butte Reservoir are declining as irrigation season gets underway, according to information presented to the Interstate Stream Commission this month.

Deputy State Engineer Tanya Trujillo said “significant efforts” are underway to administer water on the Rio Grande during the dry times.

“We’ve seen some benefits from rain in these past several weeks, but we know that the conditions are going to be very critical and difficult to manage in the coming summer months,” she said.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham declared a state of emergency due to drought conditions in late May.

As of June 10, Elephant Butte reservoir was approximately 10% full. Some of the models that water managers rely upon indicate that the reservoir levels could drop below 30,000 acre-feet before the end of July. Those low levels haven’t been seen since the 1950s when there was a severe drought in New Mexico. 

New Mexico continues to face restrictions under Article VII of the Rio Grande Compact, which means the state can’t increase its storage in reservoirs that were built after 1929. The only native Rio Grande water — meaning water that isn’t brought in from other basins — that is being placed in storage is the prior and paramount water, which belongs to the Pueblos.

Interstate Stream Commission Hydrologist Grace Haggerty said the agency’s Rio Grande Bureau “has been responding to a deepening compact deficit by evaluating causes and formulating potential solutions with the state engineer’s office.”

​She said continued work to reduce New Mexico’s Rio Grande Compact debit — which occurs when the state delivers less water than required — “is critical for all users along the Rio Grande, especially as model predictions are showing 25% less water…in our rivers in the foreseeable future.”