Legislation to aid water management introduced

NM delegation says bill would help confront climate crisis

New Mexico’s congressional delegation has introduced legislation that members say would improve water management in the West.

The Western Water Security Act of 2019 would make investments in water infrastructure, focus on conservation, efficiency and environmental restoration, and provide funding for local communities, they said.

The Democratic delegation said the bill would provide federal funding and research necessary to confront the potential of a long-term drying trend in the West and changes in water availability exacerbated by climate change.

“Make no mistake about it: we are in the midst of a water crisis in the West. Communities in New Mexico and across the country depend on fragile water ecosystems that are struggling

to adapt to the wild swings in weather caused by climate change,” U.S. Sen. Tom Udall said. “In New Mexico and in the West, we are trying to cash checks from an account that is overdrawn by relying on diminishing snowpacks and over-allocated surface water supplies and drawing on precious and dwindling groundwater resources.”

U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich said the best science available must be used “to protect and conserve our limited freshwater supplies.”

“The future of our state and the rest of the West depends on communities and industries’ ability to adapt in the face of a dwindling water supply,” Congresswoman Xochitl Torres Small said. “Smart investments in water management will ensure that our way of life, economy, and environment are preserved for generations to come.”

U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján said the climate crisis is threatening the West, “perpetuating a drought that puts these vital resources at risk.” U.S. Rep. Deb Haaland said the bill would empower local communities “including Pueblos along the Rio Grande, conserve water resources, and prepare for a future of climate change.”

The bill would give an additional $120 million to the Bureau of Reclamation’s WaterSMART program, which helps water users throughout the West tackle water security through such ways as investments in conservation and efficiency. The bill would make non-governmental organizations, which have played a role throughout the West helping to promote water efficiency, eligible for grants. The bill would also expand the authority of states and Native American tribes to declare a drought emergency and access vital drought emergency funds when confronted with any water crisis or conflict. This federal assistance could then go toward projects designed to secure reliable water supplies for vulnerable communities and restore the environment to benefit imperiled fish and wildlife.