By KRWG News
New Mexico – With the exception of two major river basins in New Mexico, the nation's top water management official says the West is in "pretty good shape" so far this year.
But the year is young, and Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Michael Connor says things could become challenging if the region fails to get more rain.
Connor visited New Mexico this week to tour the banks of the Rio Grande near Sandia Pueblo. The tribe has lowered the river's banks to a more natural state and constructed a special channel along the river to help the endangered Rio Grande silvery minnow.
The restoration work is just the latest of numerous efforts by water managers around the West as they grapple with persistent drought, endangered species and growing demand for a limited resource.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.