近距离内射合集

New Mexico will avoid mandatory water cuts from the dwindling Colorado River under a proposal released Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

The plan exempts the four Upper Basin states 鈥� New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Wyoming 鈥� from mandatory reductions for now.

鈥淭he Department has a responsibility to ensure the Colorado River system remains reliable and resilient for the millions of Americans, communities and industries that depend on it,鈥� Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a news release.

But Arizona, California and Nevada 鈥� the Lower Basin states 鈥� could face collective cuts of up to 3 million acre-feet through 2036, according to the Department of the Interior. That鈥檚 enough water to serve more than 25 million people annually.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said New Mexico needs to keep working on a longer-term agreement, given that the federal proposal would 鈥済et us through the next two years.鈥�

The Bureau of Reclamation released its environmental study Friday along with a proposal to keep Lake Mead and Lake Powell 鈥� Colorado River reservoirs that regulate water flows 鈥� from falling to critically low levels.

Under the proposed 10-year federal framework, water management decisions would be made every two years to adapt to changing climate conditions.

The Colorado River supplies water to northwestern New Mexico, recharges the aquifer beneath Albuquerque and provides San Juan-Chama Project water imported from the Colorado River Basin into the Rio Grande Basin, according to the Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority.

鈥淭he record drought has been hitting New Mexico hard,鈥� Lujan Grisham told the Journal in response to questions. 鈥淭he drought itself will have far more influence on New Mexicans' lives than today's (Final Environmental Impact Statement).鈥� 

The Democratic and Republican nominees for governor echoed her sentiments.

鈥淭he Colorado River supplies crucial water to New Mexico and although the proposal would provide temporary relief, we need long term solutions,鈥� said Democratic nominee for governor Deb Haaland, a former U.S. secretary of the Interior. 

鈥淭hroughout my career, I鈥檝e overseen hundreds of millions of dollars in major water infrastructure projects to aid water resilience. As governor, I will continue to invest in water infrastructure and work to develop statewide water conservation frameworks for local communities to share best practices and work together on protecting our water,鈥� Haaland said. 

Gregg Hull, the Republican nominee for governor, also highlighted water conservation and stewardship. 

鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of things that we have to consider for northern New Mexico all the way to southern New Mexico. We鈥檝e got to look at water conservation as a statewide issue, and not independent silos of ownership throughout the state,鈥� Hull said. 

鈥淎t the same time, we need to be good stewards, we need to be good neighbors and do our own level of conservation,鈥� Hull said.  

The federal proposal comes after the seven western states that use the river were unable to come to an agreement amongst themselves before their October deadline. 

With the rules set to expire at the end of this year, the federal government stepped in. 

鈥淢any hours of meetings and negotiations took place between the Colorado River Basin states and these discussions will continue. We are witnessing the lowest reservoir levels in the Colorado River System鈥檚 history and there is no guarantee regarding the future water supply,鈥� according to a joint statement released by the governors for the Upper Basin states, including New Mexico.

鈥淭he water supply realities of the Basin cannot be ignored or papered over. States in both the Upper and Lower divisions of the basin are feeling the pain of severe drought. This is a reality that all states, and the federal government, will need to address practically, which is why a seven-state agreement will provide the best outcome for all water users in the Colorado River Basin. We are committed to continued good-faith discussions with our counterparts,鈥� the governors stated.

The original Colorado River Compact was established prior to the 1920s. However, early measurements occurred during an unusually wet period, meaning the river historically carries significantly less water than what was originally distributed.

鈥淔rom analysis that was produced by the Bureau of Geology and Water Resources of a few years ago, New Mexico has to refine their water management in order to deal with a predicted decrease of 25% less precipitation and less runoff available to our communities," said Jeffrey Samson, president of New Mexico Water Dialogue and a water resources engineer. 

鈥淚mpacts on the Colorado River, less flow in the Colorado River, and less available water to New Mexico makes that transition more difficult,鈥� Samson said. 

Federal officials said drought conditions over the past 25 years, combined with expectations of continued dry conditions, have made development of future operating guidelines for the Colorado River particularly challenging.

The Interior Department鈥檚 Bureau of Reclamation is expected to release more details about the plan in the coming weeks.