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Our Water, Our Future: Policy Options To Safeguard Water Resources In New Mexico 9/13/2006 Download the full report.

Executive Summary

Water is our most precious natural resource. Humans, plants, and animals all need it for survival. However, unplanned and unsustainable development, drought, pollution and lack of conservation and efficiency, has left our water future uncertain.

Water scarcity and contamination is a world-wide issue and will affect an increasing number of people as the world population grows from the current 6 billion to 9 billion by mid-century. United Nations studies indicate that 2.7 billion people will face severe water shortages by 2025 if consumption continues at current rates.[1]

New Mexico’s water future faces similar constraints. Our population is projected to increase by 15.4 percent between 2000 and 2030.[2] Between 2004 and 2005 alone, New Mexico’s population grew by 1.3 percent. Throughout the Southwest, tremendous growth is happening, as people are drawn to the region for its beauty, open space, economic opportunity and culture. The percentage of the U.S. population living in our Western states increased from 13.3 percent to 22.5 percent between 1950 and 2000.[3]

This rapid growth has consequences for New Mexico’s limited water supply. Water policy has simply not kept up with modern needs, nor have we done enough to ensure that existing supplies are used to their maximum benefit.

Unfortunately, these problems have led some of New Mexico’s elected officials to call for new, massive water reclamation projects. However, these projects are neither a good use of taxpayer money nor a reasonable and cost-effective way to secure New Mexico’s water future. Instead, we must learn to use existing water more efficiently and sustainably. We must:

Conserve Our Water Resources- We must balance our water use with a renewable supply by focusing growth where there is a sustainable amount of water and by planning for future use.

Preserve Our Natural Environment- We must keep enough water in our rivers and streams to support recreation and wildlife—integral parts of New Mexico’s natural heritage and quality of life.

Maintain a Local Supply of Water- We must use local ground water supplies in a sustainable manner to protect the environment and local economies.

Use Our Water Efficiently- We must ensure that all sectors of our economy use water wisely, by adopting state-wide water efficiency standards.

Maintain Water Quality- We must reduce and prevent water pollution as a key strategy for addressing the scarcity of this resource.

Within this context, the following report will explore the problem of water scarcity in New Mexico.

First, this report looks at the current state of New Mexico’s water supply—its origin and sources, its uses, the demands placed on it and current water law. Second, the root causes of New Mexico’s water problems will be discussed, particularly as they relate to a failure to conserve, over-pumping and excessive river water withdrawal, inefficiencies and pollution. Third, this report lays out a vision for water use in the state that incorporates conservation, preservation, efficiency and maintaining clean, local supplies of water. We conclude by identifying more than 30 policy options designed at achieving sustainable water practices in the state.