solutions to southwest new mexico’s long-term …...solutions to southwest new mexico’s...

Solutions to Southwest New Mexico’s Long-term Water Needs Under the Arizona Water Settlements Act In 2004 Congress passed the Arizona Water Settlements Act (AWSA) that authorized diversion of the Gila River if New Mexico agreed to pay for Central Arizona Project water to replace what we take out of the river. $100 million (2004$) has been made available through the AWSA. $66 million of this is available to meet local water needs in Southwest New Mexico without diverting the Gila River. A diversion project could cost hundreds of millions of dollars (construction, OM&R, and exchange costs) and yield little to no water due to low flows on the river and climate change, leaving New Mexicans with the bill for a boondoggle. Non-diversion alternatives are available to meet water needs in Southwest New Mexico far into the future and can create jobs now. The Secretary of Interior must make a decision on whether or not to build a diversion by the end of 2019. Water needs can be met cost-effectively through non-diversion alternatives Implementation of proven conservation and water efficiency measures can sharply reduce water use at a fraction of the cost of a Gila River diversion. Fully funding non-diversion projects could meet future water needs at a tenth the cost of an expensive diversion project. $66 million is available under the AWSA to meet local water needs in Southwest New Mexico AWSA funds are available on a non-reimbursable basis for Grant, Luna, Catron, and Hidalgo counties for meeting any water supply demand. There is no requirement that those funds be used for a Gila River diversion. Use of Gila River water is unnecessary Local water plans demonstrate that with ongoing sustainable groundwater use and conservation, the Mimbres Basin Aquifer contains enough water to supply needs far into the future. Non-diversion Alternatives • Municipal Water Conservation measures reduce the demand for water and therefore minimize the need to develop new water supplies. • Agricultural Water Conservation reduces agricultural water consumption through the installation of water-efficient technologies. • Effluent Reuse is a widely used strategy for conserving water by applying treated effluent to irrigate public facilities, such as athletic fields, cemeteries and golf courses. • Sustainable Groundwater Management balances groundwater use with groundwater recharge to ensure the long-term sustainability of our aquifer. • Watershed Restoration consists of a variety of activities that can contribute to the health of a watershed, including protection or improvement of water quality, enhancing water supply, and/or enhancing ecosystems. 305A North Cooper St. Silver City, NM 88061 575.538.8078 www.gilaconservation.org [email protected] Organized in 1984 to protect the free flow of the Gila and San Francisco Rivers and the wilderness characteristics of the Gila and Aldo Leopold Wilderness areas, the Gila Conservation Coalition (GCC) is a partnership of three conservation groups, Gila Resources Information Project, Upper Gila Watershed Alliance and Center for Biological Diversity, that promote conservation of the Upper Gila River Basin and surrounding lands. Photo: Dennis O’Keefe

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Page 1: Solutions to Southwest New Mexico’s Long-term …...Solutions to Southwest New Mexico’s Long-term Water Needs Under the Arizona Water Settlements Act In 2004 Congress passed the

SolutionstoSouthwestNewMexico’sLong-termWaterNeedsUndertheArizonaWaterSettlementsAct

In2004CongresspassedtheArizonaWaterSettlementsAct(AWSA)thatauthorizeddiversionoftheGilaRiverifNewMexicoagreedtopayforCentralArizonaProjectwatertoreplacewhatwetakeoutoftheriver.$100million(2004$)hasbeenmadeavailablethroughtheAWSA.$66millionofthisisavailabletomeetlocalwaterneedsinSouthwestNewMexicowithoutdivertingtheGilaRiver.Adiversionprojectcouldcosthundredsofmillionsofdollars(construction,OM&R,andexchangecosts)andyieldlittletonowaterduetolowflowsontheriverandclimatechange,leavingNewMexicanswiththebillforaboondoggle.Non-diversionalternativesareavailabletomeetwaterneedsinSouthwestNewMexicofarintothefutureandcancreatejobsnow.TheSecretaryofInteriormustmakeadecisiononwhetherornottobuildadiversionbytheendof2019.

Waterneedscanbemetcost-effectivelythroughnon-diversionalternativesImplementationofprovenconservationandwaterefficiencymeasurescansharplyreducewateruseatafractionofthecostofaGilaRiverdiversion.Fullyfundingnon-diversionprojectscouldmeetfuturewaterneedsatatenththecostofanexpensivediversionproject.

$66millionisavailableundertheAWSAtomeetlocalwaterneedsinSouthwestNewMexicoAWSAfundsareavailableonanon-reimbursablebasisforGrant,Luna,Catron,andHidalgocountiesformeetinganywatersupplydemand.ThereisnorequirementthatthosefundsbeusedforaGilaRiverdiversion.

UseofGilaRiverwaterisunnecessary

Localwaterplansdemonstratethatwithongoingsustainablegroundwateruseandconservation,theMimbresBasinAquifercontainsenoughwatertosupplyneedsfarintothefuture.

Non-diversionAlternatives• MunicipalWaterConservation measuresreducethedemandforwaterandtherefore

minimizetheneedtodevelopnewwatersupplies.• AgriculturalWaterConservationreducesagriculturalwaterconsumptionthroughthe

installationofwater-efficienttechnologies.• EffluentReuse isawidelyusedstrategyforconservingwaterbyapplyingtreatedeffluentto

irrigatepublicfacilities,suchasathleticfields,cemeteriesandgolfcourses.• SustainableGroundwaterManagementbalancesgroundwaterusewithgroundwater

rechargetoensurethelong-termsustainabilityofouraquifer.• WatershedRestorationconsistsofavarietyofactivitiesthatcancontributetothehealthofa

watershed,includingprotectionorimprovementofwaterquality,enhancingwatersupply,and/orenhancingecosystems.

305ANorthCooperSt.SilverCity,NM88061575.538.8078

[email protected]

Organizedin1984toprotectthefreeflowoftheGilaandSanFranciscoRiversandthewildernesscharacteristicsoftheGilaandAldoLeopoldWilderness areas,theGilaConservationCoalition(GCC)isapartnershipofthreeconservation groups,GilaResourcesInformationProject,UpperGilaWatershedAllianceandCenterforBiologicalDiversity,thatpromoteconservationoftheUpperGilaRiverBasinandsurroundinglands.

Photo:Den

nisO’Kee

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