NM Water Advocates are calling on the 2025 Legislature for urgent action to address the state's escalating water crisis.

ALBUQUERQUE, NM, UNITED STATES, February 6, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- New Mexico Water Advocates today unveiled their key legislative priorities for the 2025 session and announced the launch of their comprehensive new website, www.NMwateradvocates.org, educating about the ongoing water crisis in New Mexico.

2025 Legislative Priorities: Urgent Action Needed to Secure Water Future

New Mexico faces escalating water challenges that threaten its communities, economy, and environment. The Water Advocates believe that the 2025 Legislature currently underway must fund the Office of the State Engineer and the Interstate Stream Commission (OSE/ISC) to implement unanimous water management and planning recommendations of the 2022 NM Water Policy and Infrastructure Task Force.

Three basic water programs recommended by the Task Force should be among New Mexico’s highest water priorities but are not included in the Governor’s or the Legislative Finance Committee’s FY26 Budget Recommendations:

• Water Agency Modernization: The Legislature should invest $30 million over three years to modernize the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer and the Interstate Stream Commission, equipping these agencies with the information and tools necessary to do their jobs. Modernization is essential to improve internal and public access to water data in compliance with the 2019 Water Data Act and ensure NM’s water supply management and planning agencies have the capacity to address the water crisis effectively.

• Water Security Planning Act Implementation: The Legislature should allocate $30 million over three years to fund Interstate Stream Commission grants for the nine regional water planning councils. The unanimously approved 2023 Water Security Planning Act delegates the authority and responsibility for regional water supply security planning to these regional councils.

• Active Water Resource Management (AWRM): The Legislature should provide $2 million over two years for the State Engineer to enforce water rights in the Middle Rio Grande, preventing another round of interstate water litigation with Texas. The State Engineer must put Active Water Resource Management (AWRM) rules into effect for senior water rights and water banking, as required by a 2003 law and unanimously upheld by the New Mexico Supreme Court in 2012.

"Water is our most vital resource, and we are dangerously close to losing it," warns Ladona Clayton, Executive Director, Ogallala Land & Water Conservancy and New Mexico Water Advocates Board Member. "New Mexico’s water crisis demands action now. We need our lawmakers to step up and invest in solutions. That means modernizing our water agencies so they can work efficiently. It means doing real water planning based on science and data. And it means responsibly managing our water based on what we actually have, not what we wish for or thought we had. We call on our 2025 Legislators to do the right thing and fund these critical initiatives so that water remains a resource, not a memory.”

Robust New Website Empowers New Mexicans to Become Water Stewards

“We are delighted to launch this enhanced new website as a valuable resource for all New Mexicans," said Norm Gaume, President of the New Mexico Water Advocates. "Our goal is to empower individuals and communities to understand the water crisis and become active participants in protecting this vital resource.” Gaume continued, emphasizing the direct link between education and action. “We believe that water is life, but belief isn't enough. Everyone, from legislators to allies to everyday citizens, must act to ensure a water-resilient future. That action starts with education, and the Water Advocates' new website is a great place to start.”

Visitors can explore sections such as:
• Our Water Crisis: Explore the threats created by a drying climate, overuse, and outdated water management practices.
• About NM Water: Provides a deeper understanding of New Mexico's water sources, usage patterns, and unique water challenges.
• Solutions: Outlines a vision for a more sustainable water future for New Mexico including the importance of political will, good water governance, and regional planning. Plus events, resources to take action, and more.

The Water Advocates encourage New Mexicans to visit the new Water Advocates website, www.NMWaterAdvocates.org to learn the facts, and then use the resources provided to join the conversation and demand the political will needed to secure our water future.

¡Agua es Vida!, learn more, and do your part – our future depends on it.
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Norm Gaume
New Mexico Water Advocates
+1 505-690-7768
normgaume@gmail.com
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