Interstate Stream Commission Approves Gila River Diversion

The Gila River in the Mongolian Mountains. A project approved by the Interstate Stream Commission on Monday would divert water from the river for use in southwestern New Mexico farms and cities.
The New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission today approved a controversial proposal to notify the U.S. Department of the Interior that the state wants to divert water from the Gila River for use in southwestern New Mexico farms and cities.
The commission, on a unanimous vote, agreed to formally notify the U.S. Department of Interior that it wants to proceed with a project that would divert water from the Gila during times of high flow, building reservoir storage so that it can then be piped for as yet unidentified use.
But commissioners cautioned that this was only a first step, and expressed reservations about the state’s ability to fund the project.
Opponents say the cost – at least $575 million according to a state consultant, and possible $1 billion according to an independent federal review – is too high given the small amount of water the project will yield. Project supporters say arid New Mexico cannot afford to pass up the water. “Luna County’s statement is that water needs to come out of the river. It’s the 10th poorest county in the country, and we’re turning away businesses because we don’t have water,” county manager Charles “Tink” Jackson told the Journal last week.
The decision frees up $62 million in federal money for the project, though state officials acknowledged it could take decades before anything is built. The decision launches a major federal review, which will include analyses under the federal Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. No formal federal decision is likely until at least 2019, state staff told the commission.
In the meantime, New Mexico can continue studies in the project, to flesh out details of the project, including how much it will cost and how much water it will yield.
At Monday’s meeting, Interstate Stream Commission staff acknowledged that evaporation and reservoir seepage will eat up nearly half the water before it ever reaches any farms or cities. The law under which the project would be built authorized 14,000 acre feet per year on average from the Gila, but the actual yield will likely be between 6,000 and 8,000 acre feet, ISC staff member Ali Effati told the commission.
By: John Fleck (Albuquerque Journal)
Click here to view source article.