Environmentalists Still
Wading Around For Answers
Maribel Santoyo
November 14, 2005
|
Environmentalists Still Wading Around For Answers
by Maribel Santoyo
With the development of an $87 million water desalination plant underway and
a few other proposals to sustain the city's drinkable water supply by 2025,
El Pasoans see hope on the horizon for other water-related issues that may
have been swept under the rug.
A different wave of players—environmental groups from El Paso and Las Cruces
—are stepping forward to claim their slice of the hydrographic pie.
The problem is not new. In a region where international water treaties
dating back to 1906, still regulate the ebb and flow of the river,
environmentalists ask if there is any hope in restoring the health of the
Rio Grande which a recent Oregon University study called "the most stressed
water system in the world."
"The river has no legal right to its own water, every drop of water in the
river has somebody's name on it. It's really hard to imagine an issue more
complicated than this," says Southwest Environmental Center director, Kevin
Bixby. "If there is water in the river, you can be assured that it's not
there because somebody said it'd be a good idea to leave water in there for
the benefit of fish, or the plants that lie in the banks."
Competition for water in this region, as one Albuquerque report put it, pits
citizens, communities, states, nations, and industries against one another.
Farmers in El Paso argue that the water supply for their crops suffers
enough because of drought conditions. Environmentalists argue that water
diverted for agricultural use--be it surface water or treated
water--depletes the river to a trickle during the parts of the year when it
needs it the most.
"Between the urban use and the agricultural use, there's basically nothing
left for the river itself. (Irrigation Disrict No. One) really only give it
to the Rio Bosque (during the winter months) when they don't need it," said
Maria Trunk.of Friends of The Rio Bosque Wetlands Park organization--a group
that maintains the historical 370-acre nature preserve, located in the
Mission Valley.
"Before the drought two years ago, all along that channel there were
cottonwood trees growing, willow trees...all kinds of vegetation, it was
really amazing," she said. "But during the drought, they needed every drop
they could get, so the Rio Bosque got cut out and I would say maybe 90
percent of all of that riparian vegetation died."
Irrigation District No.One general manager Jesus "Chuy" Reyes, admits that
when he took over as general manager for the district two years ago, there
was clearly friction between the district and the Rio Bosque wet lands park
organization.
"I work with them on different issues when we can, we've been trying to be
good neighbors," he said. "Last year, we provided water to the (park) for
half a month in December and almost all of January, so that was 70 acre ft a
day...and when it's not being utilized for irrigation water, we do provide
it to Rio Bosque."
The Bustamante waste water plant, which is currently the Rio Bosque's only
source of water, is also the main irrigation source for farmers in El Paso .
During times of drought, nothing is spared for the park, says Trunk. This
leaves many species of fish, animal habitat, and native vegetation at the
mercy of that water district.
Three years ago, Irrigation District No. One board directors approved the
drilling of 62 wells along project land to supplement farmers with alternate
water sources during times of heavy drought. Conditions during the last two
years, have still affected the allocation of water from Elephant Butte
causing farmers to reconsider their crops, says Reyes.
"We had a real bad year, the year before last where normally we are
allocated 376,000 acre feet of water from Elephant Butte which is 100
percent of what we're allowed, we were only allocated 37 percent," he said,
"Farmers didn't plant a lot of land that year because they weren't sure if
they'd have enough water to grow their crops ...that's how bad it was."
Environmental concerns in Las Cruces
By the month of October, Las Cruces faces a similar or worse devastation,
says Kevin Bixby of the Southwest Environmental Center . After farmers
complete their irrgating for the season, the river, he says, stops flowing
and water gets so low, fish flop and toss around in scattered pools no more
than a foot deep, before they die in the hundreds.
This is bad news for environmentalists nationwide, who have looked to the
northern New Mexico stretch of the Rio Grande as a place to reinstate the
silvery minnow, an endangered species of fish. The prospects are clearly not
looking good to keep a project like this in place, he says.
"It dries up down there....the water gets so low, the fish die and then we
go out there to collect the fish. This is not acceptable," he said. "You
can't have a healthy river when your fish die every year. In the last 100
years, two-thirds of our entire fish species has been wiped out."
One year, Robert Kennedy Jr., who serves as Senior Attorney for the Natural
Resources Defense Council and President of the Waterkeeper Alliance, paid
Las Cruces a visit . He was outraged by what he saw, said Bixby.
"That year, the river dried up entirely, there was not even a trickle," he
said. "He thought it was criminal, he thought it was outrageous that this
could be allowed to happen."
"There is no free water"
"The issue is that some of the people who would like to see river
restoration believe that they have a place at the table because of their
position, but they don't own any water rights and they don't bring to the
table any money," said Gary Esslinger, Director of the Elephant Butte
Irrigation District (EBID).
"Anytime somebody wants to plant a cottonwood tree in the river flooding
area...they're using project water that's already been appropriated. There
is no free water," he said.
The Elephant Butte Irrigation district, which relies on 100 percent surface
water (river water) for distribution, appropriates the use of the water to
farmland owners who use a combination of river water and groundwater for
irrigation, very much the same way the irrigation districts in El Paso
operate. In order for anyone or any organization to be considered for
surface water rights, whether in El Paso or Las Cruces , they must be owners
of farmland to acquire water rights, says Esslinger.
The Southwest Environmental Center which has proposed buying farmland, has
met with the EBID on several occasions, and has received positive feedback
and support for the idea.
"We have no problem with that idea," he said. "We welcome other
organizations to do the same."
Finding solutions in El Paso
The Rio Bosque State Park has also proposed some solutions. One of them,
says John Sproul, Rio Bosque Wetlands State Park Director, is a cooperative
project with El Paso County Water Improvement District No.One.
"It would be the installation of an on-site well to pump water into the park
during growing seasons," he said. "We want to establish a mechanism through
which small-acreage water-rights holders can conveniently donate all or part
of their water allocation to the Park. In time, all of these approaches may
come into play."
Another solution, said Sproul, is reconfiguring the park water system to
link it with the Riverside Canal so that water that has flowed through the
park, can be delivered to the canal for irrigation use.
"We got a person to drill and donate a well to them...now all they have to
do is raise money for the pump and motor," said Chuy Reyes of Irrigation
District Number No. "The best we can do now, is help them to help
themselves...when water gets scarce."
* * *
A version of this article first appeared in El Paso, Inc.
|
|
|
