Contact: Jake McCook, jake@mccookstrategies.com
“Water Can’t Wait” Public Education Campaign Launches in New Mexico
New Mexicans from across the state share testimonials, call for action on water issues
Santa Fe, N.M. – Aug. 1, 2024 – Today, the Water Foundation announced the launch of a public education campaign called “Water Can’t Wait,” featuring stories from New Mexicans throughout the state about how water issues are affecting their communities.
The goal of the campaign, featuring voices from Eastern New Mexico, Acoma Pueblo, Taos, Las Cruces, and Silver City, is to ensure addressing the water crisis is a priority for communities, local governments, and policy makers in upcoming legislative sessions and throughout the year, and for water administrators as they enforce rules and make new regulations. A compilation video and individual stories can be found on the campaign website. Stories from additional communities will be shared on social media throughout the year.
“Communities in eastern New Mexico need action on water issues, and they need it now,” said Ladona Clayton, Executive Director, Ogallala Land & Water Conservancy. “Scientists have been sounding the alarm about the depletion of groundwater sources like the Ogallala Aquifer, and we need to treat it like the crisis it is. I’m working hard to bring farmers, ranchers, military leaders and everyday citizens together to support local solutions, but we need more help from the state. The staffing levels at our agencies are unacceptable. The way we fund water projects is broken and outdated. It’s time to roll up our sleeves and fix these problems together.”
The water crisis often affects rural towns and cities disproportionately. Residents in Portales are speaking up and organizing to bring solutions to the table.
“Portales residents like me learned the hard way what happens when you ignore water issues,” said Mike Davidson, founder of the Facebook Group Portales Water. “For more than a year, we’ve been dealing with a water crisis that has resulted in harsh water use restrictions. What happened here should be a wake-up call for every community in New Mexico. Let’s learn from each other, work together and give water issues the attention they deserve. As we can tell you, the longer we wait, the more expensive and difficult the solutions become.”
Water issues are also impacting traditional water users in Taos and Acoma Pueblo:
Everything we do – economically, culturally, spiritually – has a basis in water,” said Miguel Santistevan of Taos. “Acequia communities in Taos and Northern New Mexico are being threatened by economic and environmental factors. The fires are getting big. The wells are going dry. Development is taking precedence, and our water rights are treated as a commodity that can be bought and sold. My message to elected officials is this – there’s only so much advocacy we can do for ourselves. At some point you’re going to have to dig deep and step up. There is a way we can restore the integrity to our watersheds to bring the river flows back using traditional knowledge, but we’re going to have to challenge ourselves with some radical changes. That starts by bringing more people to the table and making water issues a priority, remembering that water is life and not a commodity and not just a resource for production and development.”
“Tribal communities have been some of the longest stewards of water, and also among the first to express concern over this water crisis that is affecting all New Mexicans,” said Theresa Pasqual of Acoma Pueblo. “When water issues are ignored, it has a ripple effect on our communities, causing additional problems with basic healthcare, housing and infrastructure that depend on healthy water supplies. The way we manage water in our state is too bureaucratic, expensive and is not meeting the needs of our people. To all our elected officials – we invite you to come see this crisis, not from behind the desk, but to spend time on the land, to touch feet to earth, to see what our people are talking about. Hopefully then you will give water the urgent attention it deserves, because water can’t wait any longer.”
Conservation leaders are also concerned with how the water crisis is affecting New Mexico’s rivers, lakes and streams:
“The 50 year water plan tells us that we need to adapt to a future with 25% less water supply. We need to play catchup and respond as quickly as we can,” said Allyson Siwik, executive director of the Gila Resources Information Project (GRIP). “Overall, we have lost a tremendous amount of our river corridors, threatening the health of our plants, birds and water systems that people rely on every day. I’m grateful to the legislature and administration for supporting water projects through the River Stewardship Program and the New Mexico Match Fund, but they aren’t large enough to meet the challenges we face. We must double down on these efforts and offer assistance to communities like Silver City who need additional manpower and technical expertise to apply for and manage these grants. I know water issues can be hard. But New Mexicans aren’t afraid of hard work. Let’s all get smarter and work harder on water issues, now and in the future.”
“We see this as an emergency moment, and we need our elected officials to as well,” said Carol Ann Fugagli, executive director of the Upper Gila Watershed Alliance (UGWA). “My husband Mike and I have seen the changes in the Cliff Gila Valley since we moved here 30 years ago. Everyday, every square meter of land is losing more and more moisture. Our water systems are home to some of the most biologically diverse ecosystems in the world, yet the amount of springs that are being protected are very few. We’ve spent most of our adult professional lives seeing this moment come, and we wish our policymakers would take action to solve the water crisis now – because if we don’t, it’s only going to get worse.”
A compilation video with these voices from Eastern New Mexico, Acoma Pueblo, Taos, Las Cruces, and Silver City can be viewed with individual stories here.
#
“Water Can’t Wait” is a public education campaign to elevate water issues in New Mexico. The goal is to ensure addressing the water crisis is a priority for communities, local governments, and policy makers in upcoming legislative sessions and throughout the year, and for water administrators as they enforce rules and make new regulations. Funding is provided by the Water Foundation.