Drought conditions may be worse next year

April 29, 2011

the commissioner for the u-s bureau of reclamation is in new mexico, talking with water users. he says the biggest issue for new mexico is the long term drought. u-s bureau of reclamation commissioner mike conner says all of the state is in a drought-- which varies from severe in some areas, to minimal in others. with below normal flow of water in the rio grande, he says these are extreme circumstances everybody needs to adapt to. "there certainly is going to be some reduced allocations for agricultural needs. but we think we're going to be able to keep all of the environmental issues at bay, meet our commitments there and people will get a decent supply of water." the commissioner says if we don't get some moisture to replenish the river basins, we're likely to have major problems next year. the commissioner says new mexicans should continue to collaborate on long-term plans for our local river basins ... and of course, conserve.