It's A Bad Bet, But What Else Can They Do?

The drought continues:

The Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District, which serves farmers from Cochiti to Socorro County, released the last of its irrigation water from storage in El Vado Reservoir at midday June 30. With that water gone, the only water in the Rio Grande downstream from Cochiti Dam is federal water to meet Endangered Species Act requirements for the Rio Grande silvery minnow and water earmarked for Pueblo irrigators, who have earlier and higher-priority water rights.

“We are now up to 36 months of consecutive drought. It’s the driest three-year period on record for much of New Mexico,” Bureau of Reclamation Albuquerque area manager Mike Hamman said in a statement Wednesday. “Reclamation is focused on working closely with the Pueblos and MRGCD to ensure that the water in the river is reaching its intended destinations.”

The conservancy district notified farmers Tuesday that it was cutting off deliveries to non-Indian farmers after July 4.

The only way that will change, according to the district’s announcement to its farmers, is if enough rain falls to raise river flows to allow irrigation with natural flows. While the week of afternoon and evening storms has helped slow the river’s decline, there has not yet been enough water for the district to resume deliveries to non-Indian farmers.

While some middle valley farmers have supplemental groundwater pumps to help them through the drought, most depend on river water from the conservancy district, said Chris Sichler, a Socorro County farmer and member of the conservancy district’s board.

Alfalfa farmers can get by on limited irrigation, but farmers without wells who planted chile or corn will have problems without rain, Sichler said Friday.

“I guess they’re going to take a gamble and hope it rains,” Sichler said.