In Southern N.M., commission will pay more farmers to use less water

Expanded program aims to help drought-stricken aquifer

The Lower Rio Grande aquifer that supplies groundwater to farmers in the southern valley has dropped to a historic low, driving the state to increase its efforts to reduce irrigation in this area.

The Interstate Stream Commission is holding a series of meetings to promote an expanded conservation program that would give lower valley farmers $1,500 for every acre they stop irrigating for two years.

Water managers hope to relieve stress on the aquifer, which is linked to the Rio Grande and stretches between Elephant Butte Reservoir and the Texas and Mexico borders, an area with about 75,000 acres of irrigated land.

The prolonged drought, which began in the late 1990s, has led to the aquifer being severely depleted as irrigators pumped more groundwater when river water was in short supply, said John

Longworth, senior executive engineer in the Office of the State Engineer.

Unlike 20th century droughts, when the aquifer had ebbs and surges, it is not bouncing back to anywhere near its previous levels, Longworth said.

“We’re not seeing that great rebound that we have in the past,” Longworth said at a Friday listening session at Doña Ana Community College. “That is a very concerning situation as we look into the future.”

Because the aquifer is connected to the Rio Grande, pumping less groundwater will also increase the amount of river water that flows downstream to Texas to meet the obligations in the multistate water-sharing agreement, he said.

The commission seeks to build on its pilot program, partly by expanding the period to two years when farmers would forgo planting, also known as fallowing. The last time grants were given, participating growers agreed to fallow for 18 months.

Longworth said the state has no goal for the amount of acreage to be taken out of production. But researchers estimate about 7,000 acres would need to be fallowed to have a significant impact on the aquifer’s depletion, he said.

Taking part in the program comes with several requirements, Longworth said.

A farmer must dry up at least 10 acres, he said, and the land must have been irrigated for four years between 2016 and 2022. That ensures previously irrigated land will be fallowed and, in turn, will help preserve

the aquifer’s supply.

The land must be in either Doña Ana or Sierra counties and entirely in New Mexico, he said.

The state line with Texas cuts across some eligible lands, he said.

Some landowners who previously applied for the program actually diverted water from the Lone Star State to irrigate their New Mexico fields, creating jurisdictional issues.

“It becomes an administrative challenge,” he said. “We just don’t have the horses to pull something like that.”

Previous participants are eligible but must reapply, he said. And applicants must have a land deed as proof of ownership, he added.

Applicants also must show proof their land was irrigated for four years, said Dave Romero, president of Balleau Groundwater Inc. in Albuquerque.

The application has a link to a database people can use to look up their parcels and their irrigation history, Romero said.

Applications will be accepted between Sept. 25 and Oct. 16, Longworth said. Some farmers complained about the application period starting in the fall, saying the earlier enrollment is available, the better, he said.

“We did the best we could this year,” Longworth said.