Water stayed at the forefront of news about conservation, health and money in New Mexico this year, and pressure is growing for increased support from the Roundhouse in the January legislative session.
As the world keeps heating up due to human burning and extraction of fossil fuels, New Mexico faces the dual anxiety of too much water at times, and too little at others.
While unprecedented levels of federal money was made available for water projects during the Biden administration – from drought projects to drinking water concerns — advocacy groups say costs for addressing long-neglected contamination issues across the nation are “grossly underestimated.”
Flash floods poised to continue in disaster areas through monsoon season
Source New Mexico covered nearly 100 stories about water in 2024, ranging from U.S. Supreme Court cases to introducing the state’s new water czar to deadly flooding following wildfires and storms.
Here’s some stories you might have missed, and a look forward at what’s coming around the bend.
Rivers and streams
The relationship between chronic drought and deadly, devastating floods remains, as fires consumed forest and homes around Ruidoso, followed by walls of water and mud sloughing off the mountains during monsoon season.
Burn scars around the state faced flooding this summer, washing out homes and flooding houses, but also spaces like schooling.
Student enrollment in Ruidoso school district remains steady despite post-wildfire flood danger
Climate disaster continued into election season, closing polling sites, after flooding swept through Chaves County, killing two people and devastating areas around the river.
While winter weather early with heavy wet snow downing power lines and raising flood concerns in the aftermelt, New Mexico remains in drought, with loaded dice for a drier, warmer winter coming.
Wildlife advocates reached a deal with the federal government over the to end a lawsuit over the tiny, silvery minnow, but humans and continued habitat loss from a drying Rio Grande continue to imperil its survival.
Feds, irrigation district say keep your wheels off of the silvery minnow
The New Mexico attorney general escalated stream access lawsuits, asking judges to penalize landowners fencing off streams along the Pecos basin for not acting sooner. A judge still hasn’t ruled on that case.
The federal picture
Many of the effects on New Mexico’s waters stemmed from Washington.
The nation’s highest court struck a blow to Texas, New Mexico and Colorado’s proposed plan to end a decade-long, costly lawsuit over Rio Grande water. Instead, the court sided with the federal government and ordered the case to continue. The high court appointed a new special master, who heard from the parties and sent them back to the negotiating table. If no agreement is reached, the plan is to head back to trial.
That’s not all. New Mexico agency and water conservationists remained concerned from the 2023 Supreme Court ruling in Sackett v. EPA. The decision removed pollution protections for many intermittent waters – and endangered an estimated 93% of New Mexico streams and wetlands. The decision drove further protections of 250 miles of streams.
Congress has yet to act on $3.7 billion in a historic bid to settle lawsuits and manage tribal water rights in New Mexico, despite calls from the New Mexico delegation for leadership to act.
New Mexico received a federal grant to examine how “forever chemicals” have affected drinking water systems across the state, even as it starts blood testing residents around areas with impacted groundwater.
Water is for drinking, too
It’s been nearly a year since state officials released findings that Camino Real Regional Utility Authority, which provides drinking water for more than 19,000 residents in Sunland Park and Santa Teresa, had been sending them water with “high levels of arsenic.” It also had multiple safety deficiencies. In a media release on Dec. 16, the utility said it has addressed nearly all of state inspectors’ concerns from last year, and has had three quarters without an arsenic violation according to state tests.
In November, attorneys filed a lawsuit against the utility company and the local government entities that run it, alleging their actions violated residents’ civil rights. Earlier this year the utility got both a new director and a new board, but only after a delay resulting in a blame game between officials after a failure to file documents with the state.
The troubles at the utility sparked state officials to take a closer look at drinking water systems across the state and may result in future fines for dozens of utilities that provided no answer or insufficient plans to address issues.
Scientist says there’s legacy plutonium contamination in Los Alamos
Money and water
One thread Source NM will follow in 2025 is how New Mexico spends its money when it comes to its most precious resource.
While oil and gas revenues have kept money flowing for the state government’s operations, water conservation nonprofits and the executive branch are asking state lawmakers to turn the tap on in 2025 for water investment.
The state has asked a judge to award money and compel the military to clean up “forever chemicals” which have contaminated water beneath bases in the state.
Las Vegas finally received its first installment of federal funding to fix its water systems after they were damaged during the 2022 wildfire season.
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Source New Mexico is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Source New Mexico maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Shaun Griswold for questions: [email protected].
