Federal officials are warning that water levels on the Pecos River will be rising in the coming days.
The Bureau of Reclamation says it's moving water downstream for farmers who are part of the Carlsbad Irrigation District.
The release from Santa Rosa Reservoir began Monday morning. Water will be released from Sumner Reservoir on Tuesday, once the water from Santa Rosa arrives.
Federal water managers plan to increase the release from 100 cubic feet per second to about 1,500 cfs. The release is expected to last seven days.
They estimate about 21,000 acre-feet of water will be moved from Santa Rosa and Sumner to Brantley Reservoir north of Carlsbad. An acre-foot is enough to supply one to two households for a year.
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