June 18
Good Monday morning!
Wake up call #101: A whole bunch of Idaho farmers and a couple of cities are facing the kind of nightmare New Mexico so far has only talked about. In a little story buried in The Santa Fe New Mexican (A-8) on Sunday was this story by Rocky Barker of The Idaho Stateman: “Idaho farmers ordered to dry up land mid-season.
That’s right – first in time, first in right water law applies all over the West. Seems a company that produces spring-fed fish have suffered drying water supplies for years due to pumping by other farmers, food producers, dairies and 13 cities in six counties. So the state’s water resources director – their version of our state engineer – has ordered all those other entities to stop using water to protect the senior rights.
New Mexico water watchers and cynics keep saying water flows up hill to money. No one believes our state engineer will ever shut off water to SF, Albuq., Rio Rancho, and big developers.
He may not – but unless Ma Nature continues to provide plentiful water or the legislature changes 100 plus years of water law – the junior users in this state may well get backed into an Idaho-like corner.
Wake up call #102: In the same issue, a split between northern and southern Californians over a plan to divert water around the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is rearing its head again. The story, by Samantha Young of the Associated Press, details the resurgence of a plan to build a 43-mile canal to route Sierra mountain runoff to California’s water supply system. The question is how the plan will impact the largest estuary on the West Coast and the fishermen and other people who depend on it.
Hope you all have a wonderful week. I may not post again until Friday or Monday.
More then.
