Pete Domenici: “Monsoons this summer provided New Mexico with a brief reprieve from drought conditions that have persisted in some areas…”

“Monsoons this summer provided New Mexico with a brief reprieve from drought conditions that have persisted in some areas of New Mexico since 2000. We would be remiss to let our recent good fortune influence our long-term water planning. July and August this year were the wettest July and August in the past 112 years. Clearly, we cannot assume these events will become commonplace. For this reason, we must take steps to ensure we are prepared for future droughts and increasing competition for limited water supplies. Despite summer rains, many reservoirs are still far below historical averages. According to recent reservoir data, Heron and El Vado Reservoirs on the Chama River are 71 percent and 56 percent of average, respectively; Conchas Reservoir on the Canadian River is 50 percent of average; and Elephant Butte Reservoir on the Rio Grande is 27 percent of average. Moreover, because storage in Elephant Butte Reservoir has not reached 400,000 acre feet, the Rio Grande Compact imposes restrictions on New Mexico's ability to store water in reservoirs on the Rio Grande and Chama Rivers. As such, recent rains have not contributed significantly to storage on those rivers. The water crisis we were facing prior to the summer rains led many to question how we will allocate this finite resource among numerous and competing needs.”