Water (b)Logged in Northern New Mexico

 
Hi water guys and gals,

Hollywood's Madagascar is a rollicking silly animation with zoo animals shipwrecked on the island. The real island's residents have to bucket water on the country's Androy Plateau. They're excited because the cost of a bucket of water dropped from 100 ariary to 50 ariary, according to a report by Noro Haingo Rakotoseheno on the all French allAfrica.com and translated by SAHRA's Louise Shaler.  (As of today, $1 equals 1,876 ariary. My math says the bucket of water then costs .01 cents.)
Wow - just imagine. If Santa Feans had to rely on a bucket of water a day, no Buckman Direct Diversion would be needed.
Of course, the city might be a lot less green, too.

In other news, the idea of toilet to tap water recycling isn't a new idea, but it still disgusts a lot of people. Orange County, Calif residents are sort ofon board. And hey, if the astronauts up at the space station can turn sweat and urine into drinking water, seems like those of us on earth ought to consider it. (Check out the brief's section in today's New Mexican for more.)

Finally, this blog will be moving after today to the Santa Fe Green Line, a place for conversations, tips and ideas regarding all things environmental. Check it out here
You will also still be able to link to the blog from the New Mexican Web site, here.

More later,

Hi all,

It is another lovely warm fall day in SF. As I pulled into the parking lot across from the New Mexican, I was reminded of life's brevity. Across the lot behind a dentist's office sat an ambulance. Two EMTs were busily working on an elderly gentleman slumped in a vehicle while shocked people stood around watching. He apparently had driven some people from Las Vegas to the dentist's office in SF, then suffered perhaps a massive heart attack while sitting drinking coffee. "He was a kidder, he liked to joke," said one man who had driven down with him.
That quick. Gone. I wonder what his last thoughts were, or if he had time for last thoughts.
When I go, which I hope is decades from now so I can bug you water groupies a while longer, I hope my last thoughts are about the magnificent rivers I've seen, the joy of watching irrigation water trickle through a pasture under a star-laden sky, running my horse flat out across a mesa, the look on my daughter's face when she hands me wildflowers or the many people who have enriched my life in a thousand ways. 
I hope it won't be about the bills I haven't paid, the mistakes I've made or the things I haven't said to people I love.

While I'm waxing philisophical, here's another idea. Harlan McKosato, host of Native America Calling, had an interesting show this morning about place names. (If you really want to hear the breadth and depth of what's going on in Indian Country - meaning the U.S. - listen to his show at 11 a.m. on Weds on KUNM or your local public radio station.)  He was comparing the traditional names given places by tribes to the names given by Anglos and other non Indians. It's true in general that Anglos seem given to naming things after themselves. Traditional names are usually much more descriptive and beautiful.
It made me wonder about the ancient names given the rivers and lakes and other water bodies in New Mexico and elsewhere. What was Lake Katherine called by the pueblo or pre-pueblo people? What was the Rio Grande called before it was dubbed such by the Spanish?
If you know, send me a note. We'll post traditional names of water here.

Have a wonderful day and enjoy every minute.

Hiya water geeks,

If you've been wondering what to get for your favorite water groupie during the coming holidays, here's a few ideas:

Just out - a massive coffee table book with 400 photos and 100 essays from around the world, all about agua.
Water Voices from Around the World, $35.00, edited by William E. Marks.  Contributors include such luminaries as Dr. Jane Goodall, Desmond Tutu, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kofi Annan, Mikhail Gorbachev, Ted Danson, Masaru Emoto, Gilbert M. Grosvenor, Larry Fahn, Valli Moosa, Chief Jake Swamp and Malidoma Some' among many othes.
Water Voices from Around the World, edited by William E. Marks is available from www.watervoices.com, www.Amazon.com, www.BarnesandNoble.com, select bookstores and numerous environmental websites.


Even better, put your money toward providing water for someone else. Check out Changing the Present at www.changingthepresent.org
Click on water.  There you can help with a variety of water and sanitation projects by clicking on listed organizations. Each link gives you the name and address of the organization and what they are working on. Gives you an easy way to link to a variety of charitable organizations.

If you still have money to spare, consider a:

Gift certificate to a local nursery so people can choose water-saving landscapes.

A rain catchment barrel.

A share a local Community Supported Agriculture endeavor, that will buy your loved one a regular bag of groceries out of next year's seasonal crops. Check with your local farmer's market or Organic Commodity organization. Most will have a list of CSAs. Or google CSA in your area.

The Sunjet 150, a mini solar water pump you can stick in a bird bath or any outdoor feature to create a mini fountain. These things are totally cool.

River fund - donate money to the city of SF for purchasing money for the Santa Fe River (or some local group near you that's doing watershed restoration.)

Have fun. Be good. (Or be just bad enought to make your life interesting.)

Later

Good evening, water groupies,

I'm off tomorrow and if I'm over the flu I'll be back up on a lovely pine-covered ridge near Sapello, N.M. helping my dad finish up a tree-thinning project. It's a lovely view from there of the Manuelitas Creek, the one I mentioned some time ago has hosted a new set of very busy beavers.

Santa Feans face a possible 60 percent hike in their water rates over the next five years as detailed in SFNM reporter Julie Ann Grimm's recent story.

At one of the meetings to discuss the rate hike, a European gentleman said he thought the water rate was rather low for a desert city. Europe in general has higher rates and in restaurants in some Euro countries they charge for a glass of water, according to another friend of mine who's visited there. Imagine - paying a couple of bucks for a glass of water at a cafe - we haven't hit that point yet.

Here's an interesting take on the European Water Watch site that's actually from an MIT professor. She ties our haphazard planning and development in many countries to the current problems of water delivery.

A 2003 study found the U.S. had the lowest water rates in the world.

And a 2002 study by some Harvard guys and the Envirionmental Defense Fund traces the coming water challenges of the U.S.

Hi all,

Keep an eye out tomorrow or the next day on the New Mex web site for my stories regarding the Mimbres basin and a novel water market proposal that not everyone is keen about.

Also, from fellow water maven Conci Bokum's water updates, check out a new water efficiency library created by the Alliance for Water Efficiency:

"The Alliance for Water Efficiency (AWE), a

national non-profit organization that promotes the efficient and sustainable

use of water, has announced the formal launch of a comprehensive web-based

Water Efficiency Resource Library, in cooperation with the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency, who is a major partner and funder of the

program."

Laters

Water geeks,

Snow in the mountains! (Just a little anyway). And the ski basin is already starting to make snow, so all you skiers can get ready!

An interesting e-mail came across the other day from Donald A. Mounce, senior editor of Water Conditioning and Purification International and Agua Latinoamerica, two publications that focus on peer reviewed research for residential water systems.

The e-mail passed on a letter from one Sgt. R.J. Gilbert stationed in Iraq.
It details the testing o f the Expeditionary Water Packaging System by DRS Sustainment Systems. The EWPS is a method for delivering clean water to soldiers. According to the company, a military contractor, water has to be trucked hundreds if not thousands of miles to reach troops stationed in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere.

The email reminded me that clean water - in peace, in war, in whatever situation anywhere in the world, can be a challenge.

In an interview with Dawn Onley of Military Logistics Forum,  a Thomas G. Cornwell, president of DRS Sustainment Systems business sector said:  "Almost half the convoys operating in the Southwest Asia theater are carrying water for the soldiers, and each year, more than $200 million is tied up in moving the water—in fuel costs, manpower, security, vehicles and other resources.  And of course, there is significant risk to our personnel as they drive the convoy routes that carry the water. The EWPS allows encamped soldiers to bottle and use drinking water from local sources, saving the expense—and risk—that comes with moving water about the theater."

Then I wondered where things stand for the Iraqis in obtaining water. Over the last five years, a few reports have trickled out about the problems in restoring water, sewer and power to Iraqi cities. Without those things, its a lot harder to rebuild a government. A quick Google search found these tidbits:

*According to LennTech, a Netherlands water treatment company, problems for Iraq's water began with the first Gulf War which left a lot of infrastructure damaged or destroyed. $770 million went into the Iraq Project and Contracting Office after the 2003 U.S. invasion, to restore water capacity. The problems in identifying and restoring infrastructure were enormous, according to LennTech.

* 18 months after the invasion, much of Iraq's water infrastructure and treatment plants remained in disrepair according to  the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The goal was to have the water and wastewater systems repaired by 2005, but on going security trouble made it hard for contractors and Iraqi workers to finish the job. A little more than half of Iraq's 22.5 million citizens had access to clean water.

* In February, the Iraqi holy city of Najaf set aside $1.7 million to repair several water systems, according to Iraq Updates.

* News wires and the UN reported ongoing problems of disease and fears of cholera spread from Iraqi people having to drink from polluted water sources. In 2006, there was a reported 70 percent increase in diarrhea among Iraqi children.

* New Mexico got involved. In July, Sandia National Lab announced a team of its scientists had spent the last year helping Iraqis build a computer model of the country's surface waters and systems.

* On Halloween, the BBC reported that Iraqi insurgents pretending to repair a major Baghdad water pipeline, instead planted a bomb. They succeeded in destroying the pipeline and stopping water supplies to hundreds of thousands of people in three districts.

For more on the long struggle to provide water in Iraq, see the SAHRA Global Water News Watch

So when you turn on your tap today and the potable water pours out, or  you take a swig of  water, give thanks for your luck and the hard work of your local water managers.

Me, I'm going to pray my well holds out.

Hi water geeks,

For those of you in Santa Fe, familiar with the Buckman Direct Diversion project on the Rio Grande, and outdoor recreation enthusiasts,
set aside Weds, Nov. 5 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Santa Fe Conference Center.  The meeting is in the Nambe Room and the address is 201 West Marcy Street.
A coalition of groups will be discussing a proposed Rio Grande Recreation and Restoration Plan. The idea is to create a better set of trails people could hike, bike and ride on between SF and the Buckman area. It also would try to boost volunteer support for cleaning up an area rife with trash and popular with target shooters.
New Mexico Wildlife Federation, Rio Grande Return, Audubon Society, and SWCA are hosting the meeting.

Later

Hi all:

The new canary in the coal mine: Frogs. They're disappearing at an alarming rate. According to the Association of Zoos and AquariOne-third of all amphibians are in danger of extinction, in part because of a deadly fungus spreading rapidly around the globe http://www.amphibianark.org/chytrid.htm.
Apparently the culprit is a water borne fungi - Chytrid - more specifically a new species called Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis or Bd for those of us who can't read latin. It is thought to cause chytridiomycosis. Bd has been identified in association with amphibian population declines on every amphibian-inhabited continent, according to AmphibianArk, a site devoted to distributing info about the disease.

In places where Bd has taken place, more than half the individual amphibians have died. Frogs, like bees, and other such oft overlooked creatures, are an indicator of ecosystem health. When they run into trouble, its a sign of a fraying ecoweb.

Meanwhile, funding authorization for the Aamodt water rights case will likely come before the Senate in a lame duck session (as part of the Navajo settlement), scheduled to start mid-Nov, but with the economic stomach ache continuing, I find it highly unlikely they'll have time to think about NM water rights bills - especially ones that ask for money. And people in the Pojo valley began receiving their official papers this week regarding their water rights and the Aamodt case; they have 45 days to read through the papers and sign off on them or schedule an appointment with the SEO to have them explained (probably a really, really good idea.)

Also, on Monday an the state appeals court mandated a confusing case involving Espanola businessman and two acequias back to district court. As soon as I read the case and figure out what it means, I'll mention more here.

With Climate Change, new reports catalog the economic costs of climate change to each state. NM is not in there yet, but guess its coming. Check out the states done so far: The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and the Center for Integrative Environmental Research (CIER) at the University of Maryland have worked together to develop State Economic and Environmental Costs of Climate Change reports.

Cheers.

Beloved water buddies:

So the latest with my domestic well adventures. I climbed down into my well house (another benefit of being on a well - exercise) to turn on my water softener since the weather is turning cold. I have radiant baseboard heat which draws in water slowly through the tubes, and I have extremely hard water. while I don't like having to use a softener, the alternative is having lots of gunk leach out onto my radiant tubes and blocking the system. So anyway...... I open up the little Sears water softener I installed with a friend and inside was a dead mouse.
EEEWH! (Right, exactly my reaction, seeing as how it is a WHOLE house water softener.) I have no idea how the little critter managed to squeeze in there.

Anyway, after cleaning it out best I could and running the backflush, now I'm boiling the water to wash dishes (which means the dishes are piling up) and once again hauling water to drink for awhile.
Sigh - you urban water system customers have it so good.

In other news, from the EWG, some alternatives for those of us who sometimes have to buy bottled water:

Comprehensive testing by the Environmental Working Group finds a surprising array of chemicals in popular bottled water brands (see study at www.ewg.org/reports/bottledwater).

 Adding safety concerns to the already growing eco-concerns (only 14% of the 30 billion water bottles purchased annually are recycled), consumers now face an uncertainty about where to get their drinking water.

New alternatives not only guarantee safe, eco-friendly water, but also save consumers thousands of dollars each year normally spent on throw-away bottles.

• The Wellness H2.O water bottle’s self-contained, advanced filtration and enhancement system enables consumers to produce their own filtered and optimized water from any tap. The Wellness H2.O water bottle produces water that has been purified (with patented micro-filtration cartridge infused with coconut shell carbon) for increased safety and optimized with rare Japanese volcanic minerals and reduced negative ions for enhanced health and wellness. The bottle is made from low-density polyethylene (LDPE, #4), a plastic that does not leach harmful plasticizers such as BPA, and Wellness Enterprises is the only company on the market that recycles its filtration and enhancement cartridges, re-purposing them for organic turf farming. $49.95, www.endbottledwater.com

• The LIFESAVER bottle is a filtration water bottle that removes bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi and all other microbiological waterborne pathogens without using chemicals like iodine or chlorine which leave a distinctive foul taste. LIFESAVER bottle produces filtered sterile drinking water quickly and easily. It incorporates LIFESAVER systems’ FAILSAFE technology which shuts off the bottle’s cartridge upon expiry, preventing contaminated water from being drunk. $229, www.lifesaversystems.com

 

• Brita and Nalgene have teamed up and created the FilterForGood campaign, which advocates consumers filter water at home with their Brita and fill re-useable Nalgene bottles to take on the go. Brita was an innovator in this marketplace many years ago, and both brands are household names. This campaign should give some attention to the easy adjustments individuals can make to end bottled water. Approx. $10 for Nalgene and approx. $34.99 for Brita, www.filterforgood.com

 Just to be fair about the allegations of toxins in bottled water, here's the International Bottled Water Association Web site so you can see their defense of their products: http://www.bottledwater.org/

Have a lovely day.

Hi water geeks:

It was a packed Room 303 at the Roundhouse last Weds for the adjudication subcommittee of the Water and Natural Resources Committee. I apologize for the delay in telling those of you who missed it what happened. If people would stop making news I would have more time to update this blog.

So the 45 people who showed up (not including this reporter and the committee members) ran the gamut from water attorneys to AARP members. Acequia reps, a farmer or two, Bill Hume from the gov's office, and more were in attendance. The committee seemed a little surprised (and pleased?) by what was obvious interest in adjudications.

In a nutshell, here's a few things discussed:

1. Judge Gerald Valentine, the water judge out of district court in Las Cruces handling the Lower RG adjudication, has a few suggestions for changing the process. These suggestions would be up to the legislature to adopt and Valentine said it won't likely impact the Lower RG case at all. What it could impact is the last gigantic water rights adjudication left for the state to tackle: the Middle Rio Grande which encompasses Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Soccorro and thousands of farmers in the conservancy district.
His suggestions:
       a. "For water rights that were vested before permits were required, make the declaration statute mandatory instead of permissive, setting a deadline but allowing a reasonable time to file the declarations." In other words, require people who own pre-1907 water rights to declare those rights with the state engineer, which might be as simple as calling up the office, giving their name, address, and how much water rights they believe they own.
      b. "Establish a deadline for water right owners to apply for a license and require claimants to provide the State Engineer information similar to that required for declarations for pre-permit water rights."   In other words, post-1907 water rights holders would need to make sure they applied for a license - which is the next step after a permit. A permit lets a person put in water works and start using water. A license is when the SEO determines the water has been put to beneficial use and for how much af.
      c. "Adopt a new statute similar to Montana so that a clear record of transfers of water rights with real property can be obtained."
The difficulty is that often now changes of water rights ownership are filed with the state engineer but not with the county. Since water is a property right, any changes should be recorded with the county just like land.
      d. "Provide Legislative funding for counties to put the deed records on line."
Yep - the money issue.

Valentine did a stupendous job of attempting to explain in layman's terms his understanding of NM water law. Greg Ridgley of the SEO office helped with defining the diff between a permit, declaration and a license. (Which goes to show that after decades of haggling over water rights adjudications, its impossible to get anything through the legislature if they really don't yet understand the language.)

2. Ridgely on behalf of the SEO:
The governor is still reviewing a proposal from the state engineer's office. The proposal compliments one of Judge Valentine's suggestions but has to do with the SEO's administrative responsibilities.
Their proposal: make it "routine practice" for the SEO to license water rights "as was originally intended by the 1907 water code."
This routine licensing should "facilitiate and compliment" but NOT replace adjudication. A water license details the priority date, amount, purpose, periods and place of use, and if for irrigation, which lands will be irrigated.
Within 30 days after a water license is final, the state engineer would issue a "certificate of marketability" according to the proposal.

A lot of discussion centered around the problems with hydrographic surveys. The problem is by the time everyone in an adjudication files their claim, an original hydrographic survey info can be stale. Aerial photography and GPS may resolve some of those issues.

We'll know more about what, if any, proposed legislation will come out of the suggestions. The primary aim here is to figure out how to keep the MRG adjudication from becoming a half century, money sucking monster by the time it is filed.


In other news, the Senate is scheduled to go into a lame duck session around Nov. 17. On their list, an omnibus land management bill (S.3213) that includes the Navajo water rights settlement among other issues.


For an interesting story on water dowsers, check out the NY Times:

Hi all,

The Wilderness Society is decrying what they claim is a move by the BLM to "undermine" the Federal Land Policy and Management Act and NEPA, by amending 12 land management plans in Colo, Utah and Wyo, without public comment. The environmental group claims the BLM is speeding up the approval process to expedite oil shale drilling in the Green River Basin.

The group also claims  BLM denied the governors of Colorado, Wyoming and Utah the opportunity to conduct formal consistency reviews with the policies and programs of their state, affecting air, water and wildlife.

Among several problems the group found with the BLM's actions is the impact on the Colorado River Basin. The group claims "the problems with the Draft PEIS were the inaccurate estimates of water available in the Colorado River Basin to support a commercial oil shale industry...."

They claim other problems as well, and I haven't checked out the Draft PEIS, but I thought the water issue worth a mention in case any of you want to read through the document.  

I spent the the last day and a half at the 80th annual NM Oil and Gas Association conference, well worth the time to see the industry's perspective on a whole slew of issues.

Hi all,

Forgot to mention.

Tomorrow, Oct. 2, at 9 p.m. KNME-TV airs a Jim Thebaut film called "The American Southwest: Are We Running Dry?"
Actress jane Seymour narrates the documentary film. The film chronicles the on-going water crisis in the American West. Producer, director and writer Jim Thebaut takes viewers on a tour of dwindling water resources at the Rio Grande, the Colorado River, Lake Powell, Lake Mead, and the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.
Drought, climate change and increasing urban populations are all impacting the West’s water supply. Seymour and Thebaut take a look at the problems and explore solutions in cities like Albuquerque, Phoenix and Palm Springs.

Check it out.

Good Oct. 1 morning, water groupies:

Judge Gerald Valentine and Sen. Papen, have scheduled a meeting Oct. 8 at 9:30 a.m. in  Room
310 in the Round House to discuss adjudication recommendations presented to the full
Water and Natural Resources Committee in Las Cruces in August.

According to people in the know: At that meeting, Judge Valentine suggest suggested amending Section 72-1-3 NMSA 1978 to provide
that declarations be made mandatory.  The idea is to move towards a "claims-based" adjudication process.  This is apparently based in part on the so-called "Rio Chama model" of adjudications which is supposed to be less adversarial than the current method of finalizing water claims.

People who wish to attend should contact: Gordon Meeks, New Mexico Legislative Council Service

411 State Capitol

Santa Fe, NM 87501

(505) 986-4608

(505) 470-7733

Hi all:

Gov. Richardson announced his support of a new state park in the Pecos Canyon this morning. If the legislature approves the deal - which amounts to state parks managing four popular camping/picnic areas in the canyon under an agreement with the State Game Commission, which owns the land. The area is gorgeous, packed on the weekends and a law enforcement/management nightmare for the Department of Game and Fish. Getting some help in there will  make it a better camping experience for visitors and locals, protect the river and the ecology, and create another crown jewel that could help the always struggling Pecos economy.

In other news, Tucson-based The Center for Biological Diversity, Grand Canyon Trust and Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter today filed suit against Secretary of Interior Dirk Kempthorne for authorizing uranium exploration near Grand Canyon National Park. The group's say Kempthorne is "defying" a congressional resolution prohibiting such activities across 1 million acres of public lands in watersheds surrounding the Park.

On June 25th the U.S. House of Representative’s Committee on Natural Resources voted 20-2 in favor of a resolution that requires the Secretary to withdraw public lands surrounding Grand Canyon from new uranium claims and exploration.

The hills around Santa Fe are turning gold. Stop worrying about the downfall of our economy for a little while and go enjoy the one gold that is priceless.

Later

Well, water geeks,

I must have more weight in our little SFNM rag than I ever imagined.

It seems I caused quite a stir among water attorney's especially those who've worked diligently to get a settlement in the Aamodt and Abeyta pueblo water rights case in NNM. Now with the legislation for the third time making its way through Congress, they are leery of anything upsetting the possible, miraculous passage of the bills which would finally resolve (though certainly not to the happiness of many non-pueblo people) the water rights of five pueblos along the Rio Grande.

In a story published Tuesday, I wrote: "Two long-running Indian water-rights cases have moved another small step closer to resolution, but the finish line still is tall hurdles away — and includes the threat of a presidential veto."
It is the eight words at the end that sent the attorneys into a tizzy.

To be clear: The president DID NOT issue a statement saying he would veto the measure if it crosses his desk.
In Washington speak, apparently, there is no threat until the president issues a statement saying "I will veto."

My wording has caused confusion and a great deal of concern, so I hear, among attorneys. Further in the story, I note the administration has remained opposed to the settlements, not because they don't want them, but because of the amount of money the federal government will have to cough up to make them happen.

To me this means there is a "threat of a presidential veto."

The staff of one NM Senator confirmed there is a good possibility Bush would veto the measure.
Second, there is apparently a disagreement between the DOI and the OMB over how strongly the administration opposes funding or legislation for the settlements. The DOI is  "less opposed" than the OMB, though I am working to confirm where they stand.

And what the heck, though it is unlikely a reporter from a little NM daily will get a reply, I'm calling the White House directly just to see where the pres stands on all this. Frankly, I suspect he has much more on his mind right now - like keeping the economy from taking a further nosedive.

So, if I have proven what a backwater dweeb reporter I am for not knowing the president must issue a firm statement before there is a "threat of a veto", then I've learned my lesson.
On the other side, a veto is always a threat, especially when neither Congress or the pres have been swayed on these settlements over multiple years.

Send me your definition of "threat of a veto".  We'll run a poll.

Happy autumn solstice, water groupies:

I tried an experiment with willow branches from my mother's willow tree and it worked! Inch-thick branches of cottonwoods, willows and aspen will supposedly develop roots when stuck in a bucket of water. I pruned branches off my mom's willow tree, stuck it in a bucket of rainwater and two weeks later it indeed had 3-4 inch roots. We'll see how it fares now that I've transplanted it into my hard clay soil.


Once again, a science-leery administration seems to be pressuring its own EPA admin to ignore the science and bow to powerful military interests in regards to perchlorate, a chemical found in rocket fuel. The Washington Post reports its been a six-year battle between EPA scientists who want to reduce the allowable limit of perchlorate in water for human health reasons, and White House/Pentagon officials who oppose the move. A preliminary report from the EPA, heavily edited since by White House officials, found 20 to 40 million Americans are exposed to unsafe levels of perchlorate in drinking water, according to the WP story.
Gee, once again I feel certain my government is acting in my best interest and health.

Utah's governor Jon M. Huntsman Jr., now head of the Western Governors' Association, said he wants the association to focus on energy and water during his tenure. Last month the govs adopted a "next steps" report for water and Huntsman thinks with energy the govs need to consider ALL options.
Read about it here.

Have a lovely day.

Hi water geeks,

The Water and Natural Resources Committee is meeting in Belen today.  Unfortunately in the end I didn't make it down. With so few warm bodies left in the newsroom, everyone is needed to fill pages, even if its not about stuff as important as water.

For fun, I thought I'd check in with the USGS river and groundwater maps to see how we're doing at the end of monsoon and irrigation season
Overall the rivers look astoundingly good. Only the Pecos River below Brantley, the Canadian River near Taylor Springs, and Revuelto Creek in far NE NM measured at well below healthy levels. Overall the Pecos seems to be struggling the most, with river flows down to the 24th or lower percentile of the 30 year average.

Meanwhile, the Natural Resources Conservation Service Sept. 11 report indicates NM, Wyoming and Montana continued to enjoy some moisture while the brown dots indicating little or no precip are thick and heavy across California. Blue dots denoting precipitation from 6 inches to 12 inches are blanketing Texas thanks to Gustav.

Speaking of the NRCS, I want to note hear a special word of thanks and appreciation to Richard Armijo, the state's long time Snow Tel surveyor who had to leave the job earlier this summer for his health. My thoughts and prayers remain with him. He's one of those people that help me believe there is hope for humans.

For those of you who've peeked outside your SF offices today, you'll see the heavy smoke thick in the air over he watershed. The SFNF aerially ignited between 1500 and 1600 acres in an effort to finish burning off thick forest material in one big chunk as part of a project to protect the Santa Fe Municipal Watershed.

Have a great day.

S

Happy Sept morning,

Tomorrow, the subcommittee on Transportation Safety, infrastructure Security and Water Quality meets to discuss the enviro impacts of bottled water and the public's right to know the origin of bottled water.
(Isn't that in the declaration of independence?  inalienable rights to life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness and to know what's in our bottled water.  It was probably an amendment.)
U.S. Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg, D-N.J., leads the subcomittee which will be Webcast at 3 p.m. EDT here.  Among the panel are - Emily Lloyd, Commissioner, New York City Department of Environmental Protection; Mae Wu, Staff Attorney, Health and Environment Program, Natural Resources Defense Council; Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director, Food & Water Watch; Dr. Stephen Edberg, Professor, Laboratory Medicine and Internal Medicine and Chemical Engineering, Yale University School of Medicine; Joseph Doss, President and CEO, International Bottled Water Association.

Meanwhile, check out the upcoming art installation by multi-media artist Bobbe Besold and friends at the state capitol: WATER PLANET - beauty, abundance, abuse

The show is curated by Besold and the Santa Fe Council for the Arts. The opening reception is this Friday, Sept. 12 from 4 - 6 p.m. at the Capitol Rotunda Gallery in Santa Fe. The opening night includes an evening performance called 60 Water Weaving Women.

It includes works by Diane Armitage, Bobbe Besold, Scott Campbell, James Coker, Natalie Fobes, John Guider, Susanna Carlisle / Bruce Hamilton, Victor Masayesva, Ana MacArthur, Dominique Mazeaud, Joan Myers, Shelly Niro, Basia Irland, Jennifer Schlesinger, Nancy Spencer, Rosamond Orford, Thaddeus Holownia, Matthew Chase-Daniel, Helen Mayer Harrison / Newton Harrison, David Taylor, Elizabeth Wiseman


The installation leads up to the Sept. 22 celebration of Waters of the World: Community Equinox Water Ritual. The exhibition is open through Dec. 12.

have a great day.

 

Yo, water groupies,

Okie wildcatter turned Texas oil company raider T. Boone Pickens is at it again. This time he's talking wind. Since July he's been lobbying for more federal funding and Congressional support of renewable energy projects like wind farms and converting natural gas to power cars not homes. He calls it the Pickens Plan and says its the key to our national security and steering our gluttonous selves away from dependence on foreign oil.

Any of you following this blog may remember I mentioned Pickens awhile back. Federal backing would onlys sweeten the pot he's been cooking for awhile in W. Texas, where he owns a whole lot of wind-whipped land and a lot of water. His idea: Build the largest wind farm in the nation there and drill a bunch of wells. Then line and pipe the energy and water to needy cities like Houston.

Now if he were a younger, poorer man, I'd question his motives. But he's 80 something with plenty of dough. Check out his plan here: www.pickensplan.com

In other news, here's some upcoming events listed in water broker Bill Turner's latest geology newsletter:
October 20-22, 2008 – 53^rd Annual New Mexico Water Conference – Surface Water Opportunities in New Mexico – Embassy Suites Hotel. For more information, check here.

More later.

Hello beloved water geeks,

Long time no blog. I am about this blogging business kinda like I am about running and going to church - pretty haphazard.
But here's some info I know ya'll want even before it hits our paper tomorrow.
The NM Office of the State Engineer has just released the 2005 water use report. (The report is updated ostensibly every five years, but I guess it takes awhile to tally up the figures, so here we are two and a half years later.)
It shows little change in the biggest water users. Agriculture tops it at 77 percent, down about one percent. Industry and residential use is staying steady, according to the SEO. But NM remains one of the fastest growing states.
No need for a crystal ball on this one - agriculture will continue being the flogging dog for calls to improve efficiency. That's probably a good call, but at the same time, the state will have to guarantee that farmers who conserve water won't lose their water rights. (Remember, for you water novices - in NM keeping your water rights is dependent on putting them to beneficial use. And water is a marketable commodity.)

Here's where to get the full report:

To obtain a free copy of the New Mexico Water Use by Categories report, contact the Water Use and Conservation Bureau, in Santa Fe, at (505) 827-4272, or click on the following link to access the report, click here.