From ‘Just a Bill’ to a Law, Fully Enacted Here’s What’s New in New Mexico’s Regional Water Planning Process Feb / 2025 We all remember that eager, cautiously hopeful bill sitting there on Capitol Hill. But here’s something that classic Schoolhouse Rock jingle doesn’t tell us: A bill’s journey rarely ends with a signature from the chief executive. There’s a …

2025: A Turning Point in New Mexico’s Water? Jan / 2025 In the face of frequent droughts and wildfires, extreme weather, and predictions of tougher times to come, it can feel hard to be optimistic. Hope may spring eternal, but when it comes to climate change, it seems to peek its head out only every once in a while. And …

Water’s Route 66… and an Aquifer the Size of Lake Superior? Separating Myth from Reality in Albuquerque’s Water System Dec / 2024 If you live in Albuquerque, there’s a good chance some of the water flowing from your tap journeyed quite a ways to get there. It started out as snow that collected on the slopes of the San Juan …

New Mexico: Planning and Taking Action Discovering Shared Water Values at Open Houses Across New Mexico Nov / 2024 When it comes to water, there may be more that unites us than divides us. At least, that’s what we can surmise from preliminary data gathered at 16 water-planning open houses hosted across New Mexico between April and August, 2024. The …

The Law of The River: Aaron Chavez and the Future of Water in Northwest New Mexico Sep / 2024 Some days, a peek at the San Juan River is all Aaron Chavez needs to plan out his to-do list. As executive director of the San Juan Water Commission, it’s Chavez’s job to manage water delivery to city and rural water …

Trading Policy Meetings for Tractor Rides: An Interview with Former State Engineer Mike Hamman Sep / 2024 Mike Hamman’s first lessons in water management took place along a Taos acequia when he was 15 years old. Hamman, who until recently served as New Mexico’s State Engineer, still remembers it well. His parents owned El Pueblo Motor Lodge, a roadside inn …

FROM CRISIS TO CONSERVATION: Lessons Learned in Santa Fe When the Wells (Almost) Ran Dry Jul / 2024 During the spring of 2002, Santa Fe faced a mounting crisis. After decades of groundwater overuse and years of intense drought, the city’s water supply was dwindling, and fast. As officials rushed to enact restrictions on water use, residents bickered about whether …

To Solve the Problem, Understand the Equation Aron Balok and the Roswell Artesian Basin Jul / 2024 When he gets behind the wheel, the dusty flatlands of Eastern New Mexico stretching out before him, Aron Balok gets to thinking. “Windshield time,” he calls it He might think about the cattle ranch where he grew up, about 60 miles south of …

‘WALKING WATER DROPS’: An Interview with Phoebe Suina The Role of Science, Culture, and Community in Stemming New Mexico’s Water Crisis Jun / 2024 Like any passionate scientist, water engineer Phoebe Suina can’t help but take her work home with her. In gathering storm clouds, she sees differential equations. On floodplain trail runs, she geeks out estimating roughness coefficients. “I …

Tumble Dry on High: A Primer on ‘Aridification’ in New Mexico May / 2024 It’s 7:30am, and you just realized you forgot to move that load of damp laundry from the washing machine to the dryer. With just an hour to spare before it’s time to head to work, you throw handfuls of soggy clothes into the tumbler and set …