Pecos District finds smart water balance
Actions have made it one of the few sustainable aquifers in the nation
According to a recently completed study, the Pecos River Basin in New Mexico potentially could face water shortages over the next century. The study states that the complexity of the interactions within the basin underscores the importance of using such studies and working with stakeholders to evaluate options that minimize potential impacts to stakeholders. Irrigated agriculture is one of those stakeholders that has historically developed and put a majority of the appropriated water resources of the Pecos River Basin to beneficial use, creating multimillion-dollar industry for the local economies and playing a vital role in the food security of our society. Irrigated agriculture represents 20% of the total cultivated land and contributes 54% of the total value of U.S. crop sales. Therefore, the study correctly highlights the need for water managers to take actions that help sustain viable irrigated agriculture in the Pecos River Basin.
Since 1932, the Pecos Valley Artesian Conservancy District (PVACD) has taken, and continues to take, action to actively manage the water resources of the Roswell Artesian Basin, making it one of the few sustainable aquifers in the nation that have been brought into balance. Those actions include, but are not limited to, litigation for the adjudication of water rights for beneficial use; implementing and maintaining a metering program that ensures users use only their legal allocation; plugging wells; funding conservation projects that increase the efficiency of irrigation water use; and, when necessary, purchasing and holding in reserve valid water rights. These actions have led to a decrease in the amount of land and water used for irrigated production, while increasing yields throughout the valley.
The fact that the Pecos River flowed at a rate 56 times less than average seems alarming, but what most people may not know is that big swings in river flow are not uncommon in the Southwest deserts, and one cannot rely on averages to understand the flow of the river. The Pecos River Basin is often referred to as a “flashy system,” which means the river often sees extended periods of low flow followed by flash floods. Taking an average between a low-flow year and a flood year leaves you with an unrealistic impression of how the river system operates.
We are in a hot, dry trend. Compared to the 1980s, we are seeing higher temperatures and receiving less precipitation. However, this should not be a cause for panic. The PVACD is an example of neighbors working together to create a fair system for putting our water to beneficial use in a sustainable manner. There will always be challenges ahead, but we have a proven system for meeting those challenges in the PVACD.