Water projections
should bring smiles to farmers
Opinion Monday, January 24, 2005 |
In drought-battered El Paso, good news about
water is some of the best news we can hope to get.
And, yes, there's some good news.
The way things look now, farmers in this area -- El Paso, Juárez and Doña
Ana County -- are going to see an increase in the water they receive. Water
availability can spell economic life or death for farmers, so this news is
more than welcome.
However, it must be understood that these early projections are just that --
early, and projections. There's no way of forecastin g! with 100 percent
accuracy how much water ultimately will be available; the vagaries of nature
preclude that. The cagey farmer will have plans for both best- and
worst-case scenarios.
And projections are just that -- projections, forecasts. Although they're
based on the best possible data, there's still plenty of room for error. As
of Wednesday, El Paso had 73,338 acre-feet of water available in the
Elephant Butte-Caballo system. Last year at this time, that amount was
31,341 acre-feet.
This good news shouldn't be considered the green flag for taking two-hour
hot showers. Jesus Reyes, general manager of El Paso's irrigation district,
said something we all would do well to remember. Speaking about a recent
meeting with border and water officials, Reyes said in part, "Everything
looks positive up to now, but we still plan to conserve and try to avoid as
much loss as possible."
Whether you're a farmer, residential homeowner or run a business, the word
"conserve" is a go o! d one to remember.
What we continually have to keep in! mind is that we live in a desert and
that our demand for water is continually growing along with the city. The
Public Service Board is planning for decades into the future with such
projects as the water ranches. There's a state-of-the-art desalination plant
going in that will help both Fort Bliss and the city.
But El Pasoans still must practice the conservation measures to which we've
become accustomed.
And those measures have produced results. in 1978 El Pasoans were using
water at the rate of 230 gallons per capita per day. As late as November, El
Paso Water Utilities General Manager Ed Archuleta said that figure should
reach 140 gallons by the close of 2004.
We all know the drill -- water-conserving toilets, low-flow shower heads,
desert landscaping, restricted watering, shorter showers, fixing faucet
drips ... there are many ways to conserve and, as of now, El Pasoans are
responding well to the need to conserve.
Good news is always welcome, and it's great to ! hear that the irrigation
outlook for farmers is pretty positive. But El Pasoans would still do well
to remain water-wary.
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