On May 5, California approved a 25 percent cut on water use in urban areas in an effort to conserve water after four years of intense drought. With these historic water restrictions, could New Mexico face the same future?
“Probably. I don’t see this in the next five to 10 years, but it is definitely a look into the future for us,” said Bernd Leinauer, New Mexico State University professor and turfgrass extension specialist. “The issue in California is different than New Mexico because California is a much larger state, and California’s agriculture sector is bigger than New Mexico’s. It also has significantly larger population as well as bigger urban areas, like Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco, whereas New Mexico has one, Albuquerque.”
Leinauer attended a conference in California last month where water restrictions, policies and solutions were discussed.
“In my opinion, a lot of the solutions are just quick fixes, and they are not really addressing the major issue. City legislators and utility representatives single out turf and give the impression that turf is the only plant that uses water in the urban landscape. There are rebate programs in place that offer up to $2 per square foot if you remove turf. But what about tress or other landscape plants? There is no doubt that irrigation water is being wasted, but in order to address the issue a more balanced or holistic approach should be taken. That is something we can learn in New Mexico when we think about our future,” he said.
In New Mexico 80 percent of water use is in the agricultural sector, where beef, dairy and pecans have the top spots for major products. Leinauer explained that there needs to be a compromise to save water for the future. This compromise will require an honest discussion if water should be re-allocated, for example to industry with jobs, and which are the best crops to grow and to maintain a healthy economic balance.
Leinauer suggested it is also important, as time passes, to rethink water laws, and most importantly, irrigation systems.
According to the New Mexico Department of Agriculture, “Irrigators hold approximately 90 percent of the state’s surface water rights; thus, other stakeholders interested in using surface water supplies must consider agricultural interests in any attempt to obtain water. Alternative uses of surface water include municipal, industrial, recreation, water to meet endangered species act requirements, interstate compact delivery obligations, and tribal water rights claims.”
“Fifty percent of irrigation water in New Mexico could be saved if we had better irrigation systems. We are still using irrigation systems that apply technology from the 1800’s,” Leinauer said. “The surface water we use in agriculture is down to 30 percent or less. We are now pumping groundwater and that is not an infinite water resource. As we are pumping more and more ground water, we have also noticed that our groundwater is getting more saline and drops in quality because we keep pulling in water from different areas such as aquifers that are just not good quality.
Policies and laws need to address modern water needs and issues. The longer the drought goes the more intense these compromises will get.”
Education is also a factor in how much water can be saved, Leinauer said.
“People need be educated on the water requirements of the plants they have in their yards. For example, most residents over irrigate their lawns and waste water through inefficient sprinkler systems.”
He added that using recycled water is an option, but the public is skeptical because they believe treated water might be contaminated.
“Look at Singapore. It is the world’s largest city, to this point, where they use recycled water for potable reuse,” he said. “Treated water can be used here in New Mexico to water our backyards, golf courses and parks. At some point, something has to give. We cannot just keep moving forward and assuming it’ll all work out eventually.”
Information from NMSU