Thursday, March 31, 2016

University of New Mexico Researchers Model Precipitation and Evapotranspiration

University of New Mexico Researchers Model Precipitation and Evapotranspiration by Ricardo González-Pinzón, UNM Accurate statewide water budgets are dependent on the quality, quantity and availability of measured information in catchments. Given typical data acquisition constraints, water budgets rely on the measurement of a limited number of water fluxes (e.g., precipitation and streamflow) and on modeling tools that allow for estimation and scaling of other relevant, unmeasured fluxes. In our study, we used a parsimonious modeling technique (Doing Hydrology Backward (DHB) from Kirchner (2009)) that utilizes discharge data alone to estimate catchment-averaged precipitation and evapotranspiration rates in New Mexico. Discharge fluctuations were analyzed for three New Mexico basins: Canadian River, Rio Grande, and the Pecos River. We developed an open source MATLAB code capable of estimating catchment-average precipitation and evapotranspiration rates. We successfully validated the code using the original data presented by Kirchner (2009). Despite providing accurate estimates of hydrologic processes in humid catchments, the standard DHB model did not accurately represent precipitation rates observed in three dryland basins in New Mexico. As it is, the DHB code that we developed in MATLAB will be useful in humid catchments. However, it requires the addition and validation of snowmelt terms before it can be used in our characteristic New Mexico dryland basins. The study was funded by the NM WRRI. To view the final report click here.

Update – Produced Water as a Resource in Southeastern New Mexic

Update – Produced Water as a Resource in Southeastern New Mexico by Bob Sabie, NM Water Resources Research Institute In January 2016, the New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute (WRRI) started a six-month project in Lea and Eddy Counties focused on produced water and its potential as an alternative to fresh water resources. The goal of this project is to provide decision makers with improved information on produced water in Southeastern New Mexico. This includes information on quality and volumes, as well as information on the regulatory framework, treatment technologies and costs, and potential uses outside of the oil and gas industry. The need to examine non-traditional water sources such as produced water is due to the limited supply of both surface and groundwater in Southeastern New Mexico and because there is a considerable volume of produced water being reinjected into disposal wells. Drought and growing demand for water has added additional stress to local water systems. Agriculture, potash mining, and oil and gas consume large quantities of fresh water. Water quality thresholds for these uses are often less than that of municipal drinking water. Thus, the question arises of whether produced water can be economically treated to a level that meets threshold requirements for some of the largest non-municipal consumers. If so, the volumes of freshwater used by these consumers can be offset, extending the life of freshwater aquifers used for drinking water. In the short time since the project began, the research group has made great progress in achieving the project goals. In January, the research team met with community members at both the Lea and Eddy County Extension Offices. The attendees provided the team with information on similar studies conducted in 2003 and illustrated some of the known challenges for using produced water within their communities. Nearly 4,000 water quality data points have been added to a produced water quality database. The addition of these data improves the understanding of the spatial distribution of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) by location and formation. TDS information can be used to better estimate the economic feasibility of treating the water for particular purposes using a decision support tool. Treatment technologies are available to clean produced water and are being utilized in some states such as California; in New Mexico, regulations have not yet been established to use reclaimed produced water outside of the oil and gas industry. The result is that produced water in New Mexico has three potential fates: 1) injection into a deep disposal well; 2) evaporation from a lined evaporation pond; or, 3) treatment to a desired level and reused within the oil and gas industry. The regulatory issues of who owns the water, who is liable for the water, and who regulates the water after it is treated are still being addressed. The research group is holding meetings with state agencies and providing information from this project to assist further decision making regarding produced water. Two rounds of community meetings have been held in Hobbs and Carlsbad since the beginning of the project, and there will be one more round of meetings in late May or early June. These meetings are open to the public and those interested in water planning are encouraged to attend. The meetings will be advertised in local newspapers and by the NMSU Extension Offices. If you would like to be updated on the produced water project, please contact Robert Sabie, Jr. at rpsabie@nmsu.edu to get your email added to the email list.

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Reminder Produced Water Meeting in Carlsbad

New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute Hosting Community Meeting on Produced Water FOR RELEASE: MARCH 14, 2016 From: Robert Sabie, 575-646-5026 New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute Hosting Community Meeting on Produced Water The New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute (NM WRRI), along with the NMSU Eddy County Extension Office, will host a meeting on the potential use of produced water as a means to extend freshwater aquifer supply in Southeastern New Mexico. The meeting will be held at Pecos River Village Conference Center, Room 4 on March 29, 2016 at 2:00 PM in Carlsbad and is open to the public. Persons interested in community water planning are encouraged to attend. NM WRRI recently started a six-month project in Lea and Eddy counties focused on produced water; that is, water that is an incidental byproduct of oil and gas production. The project is funded by the New Mexico Environment Department through funds set aside for protecting sources of public drinking water supply. Researchers from NM WRRI, New Mexico Tech, New Mexico State University, and Los Alamos National Laboratory are collaborating with the communities of Lea and Eddy counties as well as reaching out to agriculturalists, oil and gas industries, and state agencies to approach the research with a holistic view of the various issues surrounding produced water. The project will provide new information on produced water quality and volume by analyzing existing data. New and existing data will be aggregated into an updated produced water database that will drive both geochemical and spatial analyses. The outputs from the analyses will be made available online as web map services. Deliverables also include a regulatory framework and treatment technologies decision support tool. The decision support tool will use criteria such as: status of technology, treatment efficiencies, infrastructure, and energy use, to provide information on the viability, economic feasibility, and beneficial use potential of produced water. The project is slated to be completed by June 30, 2016. Please contact Robert Sabie, Jr., rpsabie@nmsu.edu, 575-646-5026, at the NM WRRI for additional information.

Monday, March 28, 2016

Top of the World Water Transfer Protest Winding its Way Through Hearing Process by lajicarita

Top of the World Water Transfer Protest Winding its Way Through Hearing Process by lajicarita By KAY MATTHEWS The protestants to the Top of the World (TOW) Farm transfer of water rights from northern Taos County to Santa Fe County submitted their witness lists to the Office of the State Engineer (OSE) hearing officer on Friday, March 4. Water transfer protests notoriously take a long time to wend their way through the bureaucratic protest process, but by summer we should know whether the OSE will in this case be forced to make a decision regarding a water transfer based on the public welfare criteria. For many years the only basis for protesting a water transfer was the impairment of someone else’s water right. In 1985 the state legislature finally added the criteria of public welfare and conservation to the state statute that governs water transfer protests. But the OSE has avoided like the plague making any decision based on public welfare because it's seen as a Pandora’s Box: to define what is in the best interests of the public when it comes to the movement of water would demand a broader scrutiny of transactions that are only seen through an economics lens, or what is the “highest and best” use of the water. Public welfare has never actually been legally defined in case law in a water transfer decision and the OSE would like to keep it that way. All of the protestants to the TOW transfer will be basing their arguments on public welfare. To briefly recap, the TOW transfer will move 1,711 acre feet (afy) of underground water rights from the Sunshine Valley area near Questa to the Pojoaque Valley as part of the Aamodt Adjudication Settlement. Two-thirds of these rights are slated for the pueblos in the adjudication—Pojoaque, Tesuque, Nambe, and San Ildefonso—while 611 afy are earmarked for the non-pueblo water delivery system. Two-thirds of the 1,711 afy is currently being leased to the town of Questa, and the other third is being used to farm at the TOW location (a portion of the TOW Farm was recently purchased by Trudy and Ed Healy, longtime norteño philanthropists, who plan on managing the soon to be dry farm under holistic range management). The Taos County Board of Commissioners protested the application to transfer the TOW water rights on the recommendation of the Taos County Public Welfare Advisory Committee. This committee was created by the Taos County Public Welfare Ordinance to review all water transfers from and within the county to determine if they are in the public interest of county citizens. The ordinance spells out the criteria the committee uses to evaluate the transfer: cultural protection, agrarian character, ecological health of watersheds, long-term economic development potential, recreational tourism, public information, water supply management, conservation, conjunctive management, and minimizing water contamination. The county came up with this broad list of criteria after the Taos Regional Water Plan failed to incorporate this kind of oversight in its public welfare statement. It provides the OSE with standards upon which to judge each water transfer that comes before a hearing officer. Taos County will rely on the testimony of a number of experts: Peter Vigil, director of the Taos Soil and Water Conservation District; administrative officials of Questa and Taos County; members of the Taos County Public Welfare Advisory Committee (full disclosure: I’m the former president of the Committee and am included on the witness list); and Dr. José Rivera, a professor of community and regional planning at the University of New Mexico. Dr. Rivera has previously testified in water transfer hearings based on the public welfare criteria. The other protestants to the transfer are three landowners who live in the move-to area of the Pojoaque Valley and are members of Northern New Mexicans Protecting Land, Water, and Rights as well as defendants in the Aamodt adjudication (David Neal, Tim Cash, and Beverly Duran-Cash, all pro se protestants). The group has raised many public welfare questions regarding the settlement that they believe need to be answered before any water should be transferred to a water delivery system: will enough residents choose to hook up to the system to make it viable; why were some communities excluded from the system; will there be sufficient water long term to supply the system; will the proposed water storage system be adequate; are the system cost estimates valid; and will the quality of the river water be assured. The three NM Protests protestants hope to get some answers to these questions from the witnesses on the list they submitted to the OSE. They include: a representative of the Bureau of Reclamation, which is responsible for the Environmental Impact Statement being promulgated for the water system; the Santa Fe County manager, utility director, and district commissioner (Santa Fe County will operate the water system); Aamodt defendants who are members of the Pojoaque Basin Water Alliance and objectors to the settlement; hydrogeologists who can testify about the water supply at TOW Farm and its flow rate to the Rio Grande; and the governors of the four pueblos that are part of the Aamodt Settlement. As we’ve often pointed out in La Jicarita, and others have argued as well, these kinds of transfers are paper transfers: there is no guarantee that unused groundwater in the TOW area will migrate to the Rio Grande and flow downriver to the move-to area as surface water in the Pojoaque Valley. In order for a transfer to involve “real” water there needs to be a proven hydrological connection between the move-from and move-to area. In the case of the TOW water there are conflicting claims as to how much and how fast the underground water will migrate to the move-to areas. In a conversation with Dave Neal, he expressed his frustration over what he calls the “inconsistences” in managing the Rio Grande; in real time we don’t know how many straws are sucking up how much water, the amount of conveyance losses that deplete the overall flow, and how climate change and drought will affect both native and San Juan/Chama supply. This is what must be part of a public welfare discussion. La Jicarita will continue to cover the TOW protest hearing and keep readers updated.

CLEAN WATER STATE REVOLVING FUND

The New Mexico Environment Department Construction Programs Bureau is now soliciting applications for the CLEAN WATER STATE REVOLVING FUND This is a federal program, administered by NMED. We offer low cost financing to eligible public entities for planning/design/construction of wastewater collection and treatment facilities and non-point source water pollution control projects. All applications are ranked in order of: 1). Water Quality Factors 2). Permit Compliance 3). Financial Need 4). Sustainability and 5). Readiness to Proceed. Bonus Points are awarded for GREEN projects incorporating: Green Infrastructure Water Efficiency Energy Efficiency Environmentally Innovative Activities Technical assistance is provided throughout the project! Applications are accepted from March 4 through April 1, 2016. Follow the application link below and apply today! For more information or for assistance please call 505-827-2806 or email NMENV-cpbinfo@state.nm.us Or go to: https://www.env.nm.gov/cpb/cpbtop.html NMED Construction Programs Bureau Helping communities develop sustainable and secure wastewater infrastructure through funding, technical assistance, and project oversight. We can help! • Green Infrastructure Eligibility.pdf • 2017 Clean Water State Revolving Fund Application.pdf • 2017 CWSRF Invitation.pdf Stay Connected with New Mexico Environment Department SUBSCRIBER SERVICES: You are subscribed to CPB for Clean Water State Revolving Fund Manage Subscriptions | Unsubscribe All | Help ________________________________________

UNM Grad Student Studying Life Cycle of New Mexico Mountain Snowpacks

UNM Grad Student Studying Life Cycle of New Mexico Mountain Snowpacks by Catherine Ortega Klett It's well known that water from melting snow is a critical resource in New Mexico. The seasonal snow cover is the natural reservoir that stores water from winter storms for later release during the warm seasons. Accordingly, it is very important to be able to assess and predict the lifecycles of these snowpacks. The climatic warming that has been occurring in recent years will likely increase the stress on available water supply, which further underscores the need for better monitoring and understanding of the behavior of these snowpacks. An ambitious combined field and modeling study of this problem is currently underway. Chad Mickschl, a master’s student in the Civil Engineering (Hydraulics and Water Resources) Master’s Program at UNM with faculty advisor Dr. Mark Stone, is studying the snowpacks in the Alamo Creek watershed in the Jemez mountains of New Mexico. The heating and cooling of snowpacks is driven primarily by the energy exchange processes that occur at the interfaces of the snowpacks with air and the ground. The main focus of the present study is on the contribution of the ground heat flux on snowmelt, including an assessment of whether near surface ground temperatures can be used as a reliable indicator of the onset of snowmelt. The pattern of snow deposition and melt in semi-arid mountainous watersheds will, of course, depend strongly on altitude, and the exposure or shelter provided by topography and vegetative cover. In this study, relatively open areas with north and south facing slopes at various altitudes were chosen. To capture the energy fluxes, two portable weather stations have been set up to provide time series data on air temperature, pressure, relative humidity, wind speed and direction, precipitation, snow depth, soil moisture, and net thermal radiation. Energy fluxes beneath the snowpack are monitored using temperature sensors buried at four different shallow depths below the ground surface. These ground temperatures are being monitored at five distributed "footprints," each of about 10 square meters in extent, in order to capture small scale variability. In addition, two snow profile plots have been established, wherein the structure, temperature, and density of the snowpack is monitored as a function of time. This provides a closer look at snowpack properties, including snow grain size and shape and temperature, which in turn helps determine the direction of the water vapor flux and the likely changes in snow properties, which also affects the transport of heat in the snow. Finally, additional observations are being carried out in the form of five snow course survey sites, at which the snowpack depth and liquid water content is tracked. In addition to the above comprehensive measurement program, there is an accompanying modeling study underway, the goal of which is ultimately to provide better estimates of the timing and quantity of snowmelt. To this end, a state-of-the-art energy and mass balance simulation model known as SNOBAL is being used to predict snowpack properties from the meteorological and other snowpack data gathered by the field study. The SNOBAL model is initiated by using measurements of snow depth, density, temperature and net water content. Following these initial inputs, their change with time is determined by various forcing variables involving information provided by net solar radiation, precipitation mass, temperature, and estimated density. The model output from this includes the energy, mass balance, and runoff from the snow cover. It is hoped these simulations will support the initial conjecture that near surface ground temperature measurements may provide a reliable indicator of the onset and rate of snowmelt and the amount of energy supplied to the snowpack during melt in this semi-arid mountain climate. Chad Mickschl received an NM WRRI Student Water Research Grant for this study and his final report will be posted on the institute’s website in July 2016.
NMSU to host workshop at Abiquiu on controlling unwanted trees DATE: 03/14/2016 WRITER: Jane Moorman, 505-249-0527, jmoorman@nmsu.edu CONTACT: Donald Martinez, 505-685-4523, donmart@nmsu.edu ABIQUIU – Elm, willow and Russian olive trees sprouting along the acequias, streams and fence line can have a negative impact on the profitability of a farm. New Mexico State University’s Rio Arriba County Cooperative Extension Service will host a workshop on controlling these trees when they are sprouts, before they become full-grown bushes or trees. The workshop will be from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 30, at the Rio Arriba CES office, State Road 554, House #122-A, in Abiquiu. “Along our acequias and streams, we are seeing an encroachment of willows, elms and Russian olive,” said Donald Martinez, Rio Arriba Extension agricultural agent. “We, as a community, need to learn more about safe practices and treatments to secure good water flow. Plus ,with proper care, we can help forages and hay in our fields.” Clay Guck, of Helena Chemicals-New Mexico Specialty in Albuquerque, will demonstrate controlling the trees with herbicide using hand-held or backpack sprayers during a field demonstration at Jack Trujillo’s farm, which will be followed by a question-and-answer session. To register, call Donald Martinez at 505-685-4523. - 30 - Follow NMSU News on Twitter: http://twitter.com/nmsunews Follow NMSU News on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NMSUNews

NMSU campus farm research project, ‘nutriponics,’ attempts to convert waste

NMSU campus farm research project, ‘nutriponics,’ attempts to convert waste DATE: 03/17/2016 WRITER: Tiffany Acosta, 575-646-3929, tfrank@nmsu.edu CONTACT: Tracey Carrillo, 575-646-3125, tcarrill@nmsu.edu This spring, five New Mexico State University students in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences along with Tracey Carrillo, assistant director of campus farm operations at NMSU, have started a research project searching for a way to add value to waste products created in agricultural settings. “The students have coined the name for this creation, ‘nutriponics,’ which is different than aquaponics and hydroponics. The students hope the coined name will become a household term as they continue to develop the research,” Carrillo said. The students, Tim Clelland, Ethan Johnson, Kiah Lowe, Rey Lopez and Curt Pierce, would like to have a working model to demonstrate how to add value to various waste streams soon. “Nutriponics takes waste and adds it to a tank of fresh water. The waste is then digested in the tank so that nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and other nutrients become fertilizer for plants,” Carrillo said. “The water is then gravity fed down a grow out bed of media planted with various crops. The plants thrive on the nutrient-rich waste and also filter the water. The plant-filtered water is then returned to the waste tank and ready for more waste to be added.” Carrillo said water quality is closely monitored throughout the process. The students are utilizing waste from a nearby shrimp farm and will be exploring other waste streams. The students are planning to grow a variety of crops such as wheatgrass, sprouts, onions, tomatoes, microgreens and sea asparagus. “The model is designed so that the system can be setup next to any agricultural, commercial or residential industry that creates a waste product that is suitable for the system. This may include dairies, aquaculture farms, algae production farms, and so forth. This could add significant value to a waste product and also help with disposal of the waste,” Carrillo noted. By May, the students’ goal is to have a working model in production with sales of produce. “The system also benefits from bio security and quality control advantages for growing produce, which is becoming more important,” he said. To follow the project’s development visit https://www.facebook.com/nmsuaquaculture/. - 30 - Follow NMSU News on Twitter: http://twitter.com/nmsunews

NMSU campus farm research project, ‘nutriponics,’ attempts to convert waste

NMSU campus farm research project, ‘nutriponics,’ attempts to convert waste DATE: 03/17/2016 WRITER: Tiffany Acosta, 575-646-3929, tfrank@nmsu.edu CONTACT: Tracey Carrillo, 575-646-3125, tcarrill@nmsu.edu This spring, five New Mexico State University students in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences along with Tracey Carrillo, assistant director of campus farm operations at NMSU, have started a research project searching for a way to add value to waste products created in agricultural settings. “The students have coined the name for this creation, ‘nutriponics,’ which is different than aquaponics and hydroponics. The students hope the coined name will become a household term as they continue to develop the research,” Carrillo said. The students, Tim Clelland, Ethan Johnson, Kiah Lowe, Rey Lopez and Curt Pierce, would like to have a working model to demonstrate how to add value to various waste streams soon. “Nutriponics takes waste and adds it to a tank of fresh water. The waste is then digested in the tank so that nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and other nutrients become fertilizer for plants,” Carrillo said. “The water is then gravity fed down a grow out bed of media planted with various crops. The plants thrive on the nutrient-rich waste and also filter the water. The plant-filtered water is then returned to the waste tank and ready for more waste to be added.” Carrillo said water quality is closely monitored throughout the process. The students are utilizing waste from a nearby shrimp farm and will be exploring other waste streams. The students are planning to grow a variety of crops such as wheatgrass, sprouts, onions, tomatoes, microgreens and sea asparagus. “The model is designed so that the system can be setup next to any agricultural, commercial or residential industry that creates a waste product that is suitable for the system. This may include dairies, aquaculture farms, algae production farms, and so forth. This could add significant value to a waste product and also help with disposal of the waste,” Carrillo noted. By May, the students’ goal is to have a working model in production with sales of produce. “The system also benefits from bio security and quality control advantages for growing produce, which is becoming more important,” he said. To follow the project’s development visit https://www.facebook.com/nmsuaquaculture/. - 30 - Follow NMSU News on Twitter: http://twitter.com/nmsunews

Rainout shelters, long-term data at Jornada Experimental Range help predict climate change effects

Rainout shelters, long-term data at Jornada Experimental Range help predict climate change effects DATE: 03/24/2016 WRITER: Kristie Garcia, 575-646-4211, kmgarcia@nmsu.edu CONTACT: Deb Peters , 575-646-2777, debpeter@nmsu.edu Hundreds of rainout shelters on the Jornada Experimental Range are helping researchers predict what arid and semi-arid ecosystems will look like in the future. The rainout shelters serve as simulators of climate change, and they are just one part of a 20-year and ongoing Chihuahuan Desert study. Osvaldo Sala, the Julie A. Wrigley professor at Arizona State University, has been a part of this project for more than 10 years. He said the key to determining the future of ecosystems is using four complementary approaches to reach scientific answers. “The four legs of our research approach are observation, experimentation, modeling and long-term data analysis,” Sala said. The Jornada Basin Long Term Ecological Research principal investigators live in various locations. Among others, Sala is working with lead principal investigator and New Mexico State University adjunct plant and environmental sciences faculty member Debra Peters and Northern Arizona University Professor of Environmental Science Laura Huenneke, who have been a part of the project for almost 20 years. The research team is in the process of writing manuscripts about all of its discoveries, and various groups of researchers convened on the NMSU campus in February to discuss their findings. “The writing process is finding a story,” Sala said. “We have a hypothesis, we collect all the data, we perform statistical analyses, and then we get together to look at the data and try to put together a scientific story.” What exactly is the story? For one, vegetation maps beginning in the 1850s have shown that the Southwest changed from perennial grasslands to shrublands. Also, there has been a cycle of long periods of drought years followed by periods of wet years. While short-term experiments may provide valuable data about processes, accurate predictions are not possible without long-term data. “The long-term data on plant production and diversity have allowed us to see changes between very wet years and very dry years, and between sequences of wet years and sequences of dry periods,” Peters said. “These comparisons allow us to look at vegetation patterns and make inferences about what our future is going to look like. It’s only using that long-term data that we can make those sort of effective predictions.” The rainout shelter project is part of the long-term research. The distances between the shingles on these structures purposely vary, in order to control precipitation. Some shelters intercept 50 percent of incoming precipitation and some intercept up to 90 percent. Acting as simulators, the shelters intercept precipitation representing drought conditions and route precipitation through pipes to a plot that is irrigated, simulating wet conditions. “We’ve run this rainfall manipulation for almost 10 years now,” Sala said. “During the first four years of rainfall manipulation, we didn’t see any significant difference. But by year seven or eight, we started seeing that in the drought treatments, there was a sharp decline of the grasses. That would have been impossible to predict based on the short-term experiments. What’s even more interesting is that declining grass was accompanied by an increase in shrub production. And that only could be seen after 10 years of manipulation.” The data have also shown that the diversity in species is related to the availability of water. High temperatures cause evaporation in the soil, which leads to soil drying faster. And in drought situations, the ecosystems will have fewer species. Huenneke participated in the initiation, design and first years of data collection at the Jornada Range during her career at NMSU in the late 1980s and 1990s. “It’s wonderful to come back after 20 years – 25 years in some cases – of these studies, and to look at what the continuing results have been,” Huenneke said. “It’s really an exceptional opportunity to look at long-term change in desert systems, which are so hard to sample. That’s what makes this such an unusually valuable study.” One of the next steps is to develop a simulation model that incorporates all of the water and vegetation data collected thus far. The NMSU College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences has committed to funding a two-year research assistant position to work on the simulation model. Operated by the Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service, data have been collected on the Jornada Experimental Range since 1915. Data have been collected for the LTER project, administered by NMSU, since 1983. The Chihuahuan Desert Rangeland Research Center is operated by NMSU. - 30 - Follow NMSU News on Twitter: http://twitter.com/nmsunews Follow NMSU News on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NMSUNews

USDA Awards $8.5 Million to Improve Communities' Water Sources

Release No. 0070.16 Contact: Office of Communications (202)720-4623 USDA Awards $8.5 Million to Improve Communities' Water Sources Department Also to Serve as Permanent Co-Chair of the National Drought Resilience Partnership WASHINGTON, March 22, 2016 – In celebration of World Water Day, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today awarded more than $8.5 million in grants that 10 universities will use to help communities improve water resource quality and quantity. In addition, the Department was tapped to serve as permanent co-chair of the National Drought Resilience Partnership, with the other co-chair rotating between six other agencies every two years; the Department of Commerce will serve as co-chair for the Partnership's first two years. "Access to a sufficient and safe supply of water is critical to our nation's health and also to our economy, and we must act to protect this precious resource," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "The grants we are announcing today are the latest of many steps USDA has taken to help communities who are struggling with water quality. Enhanced federal coordination through the National Drought Resilience Partnership will further support locally-led drought resilience projects to improve residents' access to water and increase the effectiveness and sustainability of American agriculture." The National Drought Resilience Partnership (NDRP) was formalized by the Presidential Memorandum: Building National Capabilities for Long-Term Drought Resilience announced by the White House yesterday. NDRP builds upon the National Integrated Drought Information System and will better coordinate federal support for locally-driven drought-related efforts, helping communities reduce the impact of current drought events, and preparing for future droughts. Other NDRP agencies include the Departments of Defense, Interior, Commerce, Energy, Homeland Security, and the Environmental Protection Agency. NDRP is designed to help communities sustain and expand efforts to reduce their vulnerability to the impacts of drought. Drought affects millions of Americans and poses a serious and growing threat to the security and economies of communities nationwide. Responding to and recovering from past droughts has shown that focused collaboration across all levels of government and the private sector enables productive solutions that build regional resilience. In support of this work, the 10 grants announced will support research, education, and outreach through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Water for Agriculture Challenge Area, administered by USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The Challenge works with universities to develop regional systems for sustainable use, reuse, flow and management of water; and at the watershed and farm scales, tackle water issues related to agricultural production and environmental sustainability. Grants recipients include: • Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colo., $2,400,531 • University of Maryland, College Park, Md., $3,449,757 • University of Montana, Missoula, Mont., $486,621 • North Carolina State University, Raleigh, N.C., $484,990 • Stockholm Environment Institute U.S., Davis, Calif., $484,764 • University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Calif., $485,000 • University of California, Riverside, Calif., $126,181 • Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi, Texas, $499,895 • Pennsylvania State University, State College, Penn., $49,188 • Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico, $50,000 Colorado State University scientists will examine the impact of rapidly declining water levels of the Ogallala Aquifer in the Ogallala Aquifer Region and optimizing the use of groundwater to sustain food production systems, rural communities and ecosystem services. The University of Maryland will focus on the adoption of transformative on‐farm solutions that enable the safe use of nontraditional water sources for irrigation water of food crops. More information about other projects can be found on the AFRI website. Funded through the 2014 Farm Bill, the AFRI Water for Agriculture Challenge addresses critical water resource issues such as drought, excess soil moisture, flooding, water quality and related challenges in an agricultural context. Funding for this program will be used to develop management practices, technologies, and tools for farmers, ranchers, forest owners and managers, public decision makers, public and private managers, and citizens to improve water resource quantity and quality. NIFA's integrated research and education programs, supporting scientists and extension personnel, have resulted in user-inspired, groundbreaking discoveries that are combating childhood obesity, improving and sustaining rural economic growth, addressing water availability issues, increasing food production, finding new sources of energy, mitigating climate variability, and ensuring food safety. Find out more online at www.nifa.usda.gov/impacts. #

Thursday, March 24, 2016

White House Water Summit

https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/whitehouse.gov/files/documents/White_House_Water_Summit_commitments_report_032216.pdf The White House Announces New Commitments to Water Sustainability Following the Water Summit On Tuesday March 22nd, The White House hosted the first Water Summit to discuss the actions and commitments necessary for building a sustainable water future. Following the summit, The White House announced that nearly $4 billion in private capital will be invested in water-infrastructure projects nationwide, more than $1 billion from the private sector will be allocated to innovative research and technology and nearly $35 million in federal grants this year will support cutting-edge water science. The executive office also introduced a Presidential Memorandum and supporting Action Plan on building drought resilience as well as a new National Water Model for improving river-forecasting.

Drought and Management Actions Affect World Waterway&the Rio Grande

Drought and Management Actions Affect World Waterway&the Rio Grande Posted: 22 Mar 2016 11:19 AM PDT Summary: New research can help water managers along the Rio Grande make wise decisions about how to best use the flow of a river vital for drinking water, agriculture and aquatic habitat. These studies also show how conditions from the prolonged drought in the West have affected the Rio Grande watershed Contact Information: Heidi Koontz ( Phone: 303-202-4763 ); Jennifer LaVista ( Phone: 720-480-7875 ); In recognition of World Water Day and in conjunction with the White House Water Summit, the U.S. Geological Survey is raising awareness of water issues and potential solutions in the United States. New research can help water managers along the Rio Grande make wise decisions about how to best use the flow of a river vital for drinking water, agriculture and aquatic habitat. These studies also show how conditions from the prolonged drought in the West have affected the Rio Grande watershed. The Rio Grande forms the world’s longest river border between two countries as it flows between Texas and Mexico, where it is known as the Rio Bravo. The river runs through three states in the U.S., beginning in southern Colorado and flowing through New Mexico and Texas before it forms the border with Mexico. Parts of the Rio Grande are designated as wild and scenic, but most of the river is controlled and passes through several dam and reservoir systems during its 1,896 mile journey to the Gulf of Mexico. The river is managed through a complex system of compacts, treaties, and agreements that determine when and how much water is released along the river’s length. The amount and timing of water releases have varied in recent years due to drought. Recent USGS research on the middle Rio Grande looked at the effects of those changes on the amount of salts that build up in the Rincon and Mesilla Valleys in Texas and New Mexico. Results showed a decline in the amount of salt carried by the river due to a decrease of releases during the drought. The two valleys responded differently to the decreased releases. Salt levels in the Rincon Valley declined, whereas salt levels in the Mesilla Valley increased. Salt buildup in the soil and water can affect agriculture, which is an important industry in those valleys. Successfully managing water use along the river is important to the sustainability of agricultural and communities along the river. To help with that goal, USGS has measured water gains and losses to the Rio Grande from between the Leasburg Dam near Leasburg, New Mexico, and the American Dam near El Paso, Texas. American Dam is near where the Rio Grande becomes the border with Mexico. For the past several years, drought conditions contributed to decreasing flows along this 64-mile stretch, and sections of the river were dry during parts of the year. Flow in the Rio Grande is affected by how water is used throughout the basin. For instance, the Albuquerque area of New Mexico has two principal sources of water: groundwater from the underlying aquifer system and withdrawals and diversions from the Rio Grande. From 1960 to 2002, pumping from the aquifer system caused groundwater levels to decline from about 40 feet along the Rio Grande in Albuquerque to more than 120 feet in the valley away from the river. As a result, the USGS, in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation, conducted a study to understand the exchange of water between the Rio Grande and the aquifer system. By characterizing the interaction between surface water from the Rio Grande and groundwater from the aquifer system, scientists provide valuable information to help managers make informed decisions about water use. In addition to helping decision makers determine how to best manage the river for human use, USGS scientists are studying how native fish and their aquatic habitats are affected by different streamflow conditions along the river. For example, previous investigations have shown that the decline in Rio Grande silvery minnow may be attributed to modifications of the natural streamflow regime, channel drying, construction of reservoirs and dams, stream channelization, declining water quality, and interactions with nonnative fish. Understanding native species habitat limitations is important for decision makers to better plan future flow operations to meet desired resource goals. More information on the research and results discussed in this release can be found in the following studies:  Variability of surface-water quantity and quality and shallow groundwater levels and quality within the Rio Grande Project area, New Mexico and Texas, 2009–13  Seepage investigation of the Rio Grande from below Leasburg Dam, Leasburg, New Mexico, to above American Dam, El Paso, Texas, 2014  Seepage investigation of the Rio Grande from below Leasburg Dam, Leasburg, New Mexico, to above American Dam, El Paso, Texas, 2015  Groundwater hydrology and estimation of horizontal groundwater flux from the Rio Grande at selected locations in Albuquerque, New Mexico, 2009–10  Fish assemblage composition and mapped mesohabitat features over a range of streamflows in the Middle Rio Grande, New Mexico, winter 2011-12, summer 2012  Physical characteristics and fish assemblage composition at site and mesohabitat scales over a range of streamflows in the Middle Rio Grande, New Mexico, winter 2011-12, summer 2012

Lawsuit seeks accounting for Rio Grande water use

Lawsuit seeks accounting for Rio Grande water use By Ollie Reed Jr. / Journal Staff Writer Tuesday, March 22nd, 2016 at 12:05am ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A lawsuit filed in state district court by an environmental organization demands that the New Mexico state engineer make the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District prove it uses as much water as it is permitted to use. In the suit, WildEarth Guardians, a Santa Fe-based organization dedicated to the protection and restoration of wildlife, wild places and wild rivers, claims that “despite clear mandates,” the conservancy district has avoided showing it uses all of the water the state Engineer’s Office approved permits for in 1925. The conservancy district delivers water to 65,000 acres of croplands in the Middle Rio Grande Valley. In the suit, filed in Santa Fe on Monday, WildEarth Guardians requests that the court compel state Engineer Tom Blaine to set a date by which the conservancy district prove actual use of the water it claimed in 1925 or cancel the district’s permits. The Engineer’s Office did not immediately respond to phone calls requesting comment. In a news release, the conservancy district declined to comment on the lawsuit but noted that it “does acknowledge that the Rio Grande Compact Commission and the Interstate Stream Commission have been working with the district since its inception and there has not been an accounting issue to date.” The Rio Grande Compact governs the distribution of water among New Mexico, Colorado and Texas. In the suit, WildEarth Guardians refers to a May 1996 state water engineer’s memorandum that indicates the conservancy district put 164,598 acre feet of water to beneficial use in 1979 compared with 301,599 acre feet in 1928. An acre foot is the amount of water it takes to cover one acre at a depth of one foot. According to the suit, state law requires a permit holder to prove beneficial use of water by a specified date. The suit claims the state granted the conservancy district extensions from 1935 to 1987 and set another deadline of Dec. 31, 1997, but the conservancy district has yet to provide proof of beneficial use of all the water it is allowed under the permit. “For 80 years the state has given the district a blank water check which is depriving the Rio Grande, the bosque and their native fish, wildlife and plants of the water they need to thrive,” said Jen Pelz, Wild Rivers program director for WildEarth Guardians. “The district has a responsibility to the water users in the district, as well as the citizens of New Mexico, to only use the water it needs.” WildEarth Guardians also filed two applications with the state engineer to appropriate any water not put to beneficial use by the conservancy district for storage in an environmental pool in Abiquiu Reservoir. Water in the environmental pool would be reserved to protect and restore flows, habitat and ecosystems important to the survival of fish, wildlife and plants of the Rio Grande, the environmental organization said.

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Infrastructure Capital Improvement Plan 2016 ICIP Training Workshop Notice

Infrastructure Capital Improvement Plan 2016 ICIP Training Workshop Notice The Department of Finance & Administration/Local Government Division (DFA/LGD) invites you to participate in the Annual ICIP Training Workshops. The Training Workshops are free to the public, and will assist communities in developing their Fiscal Year 2018-2022 ICIP. The workshops will include a full day of training to include presentations from funding sources, and hands-on training for the ICIP database. Presenters from DFA include Special Services Bureau Community Development Bureau, as well as Capital Outlay Bureau, Aging & Long Term Services Department, NM Finance Authority, NM Economic Division, Indian Affairs Department, and more This year, due to multiple requests, the ICIP Training Workshops will also include hands-on training on the ICIP database. A special presentation from the Community Development Bureau will include trainings on Legislative request for payment forms, the Notice of Obligation (NOO), and the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). The DFA Capital Outlay Bureau will provide information on the Capital Projects Monitoring System (CPMS) and Capital Outlay request process. Date: Location: Co-Sponsored by: ☐April 20, 2016 Deming SCNMCOG & SWNMCOG ☐ April 26, 2016 Roswell SNMEDD ☐ April 28, 2016 Gallup NWNMCOG ☐ May 3, 2016 Santa Fe NCNMEDD ☐ May 5, 2016 Albuquerque MRCOG ☐ May 18, 2016 Tucumcari EPCOG ☐ Webinar Option *For inquiries regarding registration, please contact Carmen Morin at 505-827-4957 or CarmenB.Morin@state.nm.us. Schedule is subject to change. Please confirm location and date prior to attending. Keep checking the DFA/LGD website at http://www.nmdfa.state.nm.us/ICIP.aspx for additional locations/dates and updates. Keep in mind, NMAA is available to work with acequias in completing ICIP's please call the office for further assistance (505) 995-9644

New Book out on the Pecos Bitter Waters by Patrick Dearen

A new book about the struggles for water on the Pecos is out. The book is Bitter Waters: the struggles of The Pecos River by Patrick Dearen. from University of Oklahoma Press. Phone !-800-627-7377

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Next Meeting date

Next meeting will be 8 April 2016 at 9:00 am in the meeting room of the Community Building of the Eddy County Fair Grounds, Fair Grounds Road and 13 th street.

New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute Hosting Community Meeting on Produced Water

New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute Hosting Community Meeting on Produced Water FOR RELEASE: MARCH 14, 2016 From: Robert Sabie, 575-646-5026 New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute Hosting Community Meeting on Produced Water The New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute (NM WRRI), along with the NMSU Eddy County Extension Office, will host a meeting on the potential use of produced water as a means to extend freshwater aquifer supply in Southeastern New Mexico. The meeting will be held at Pecos River Village Conference Center, Room 4 on March 29, 2016 at 2:00 PM in Carlsbad and is open to the public. Persons interested in community water planning are encouraged to attend. NM WRRI recently started a six-month project in Lea and Eddy counties focused on produced water; that is, water that is an incidental byproduct of oil and gas production. The project is funded by the New Mexico Environment Department through funds set aside for protecting sources of public drinking water supply. Researchers from NM WRRI, New Mexico Tech, New Mexico State University, and Los Alamos National Laboratory are collaborating with the communities of Lea and Eddy counties as well as reaching out to agriculturalists, oil and gas industries, and state agencies to approach the research with a holistic view of the various issues surrounding produced water. The project will provide new information on produced water quality and volume by analyzing existing data. New and existing data will be aggregated into an updated produced water database that will drive both geochemical and spatial analyses. The outputs from the analyses will be made available online as web map services. Deliverables also include a regulatory framework and treatment technologies decision support tool. The decision support tool will use criteria such as: status of technology, treatment efficiencies, infrastructure, and energy use, to provide information on the viability, economic feasibility, and beneficial use potential of produced water. The project is slated to be completed by June 30, 2016. Please contact Robert Sabie, Jr., rpsabie@nmsu.edu, 575-646-5026, at the NM WRRI for additional information.