The Upper Rio Grande Basin has been struggling with drought for most of the past decade, forcing cities and farmers from southern Colorado to Texas' Hudspeth County to pump groundwater to make up for the lack of snow and rain.
Experts tell the El Paso Times that has resulted in groundwater levels dropping in the region as much as 200 feet in the past 10 years.
The precipitous drop is especially disturbing because it's taking place in an area where it recharges too slowly to make up the loss. Worse, experts predict a future in which even less water in the river will mean even more pumping.
New Mexico State University professor Brian Hurd says he expects river flows to diminish and the region's populations to grow, increasing demand for groundwater.
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