A meaningful change in how New Mexico allocates and legislates water is desperately needed, and Governor Lujan Grisham and the New Mexico Legislature must take immediate action to address the scale of this emergency. [...] Lack of Data and Funding Threatens Water Security In the face of an historic drought, New Mexico’s government fails to collect data to know where and how many wells are running dry, or how much water is used in each sector. [...] The law was a first of its kind, but it was in trouble from the start because the legislature and the governor did not provide nearly enough funding to meet the goals of the Act. [...] In New Mexico, senior water users are typically in the agricultural sector, and junior users are municipalities and residential users — meaning that in times of drought, Big Ag is prioritized over towns and household water use for New Mexicans. [...] This means directing state agencies to: • Update existing drought plans to include response actions specific to mega-dairy and alfalfa water overuse, • Deny water permit applications for new and expanding mega-dairies and alfalfa production, • Work with the state legislature to properly fund the Water Data Act to address data gaps, and • Prioritize residential and drinking water over mega-dairy an.
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- United States of America
