Another Dry Season for the Rio Grande

February 5, 2021 – A below-average snowpack this year foretells another bad year for irrigators along the Rio Grande. Below Elephant Butte reservoir, farmers have been told to expect a zero-allotment year as New Mexico delivers promised water to Texas. In the Middle Rio Grande, growers have already been urged not to plant crops unless absolutely necessary. The Line opinion panel debates state water policy and whether New Mexico leaders have been avoiding hard decisions about water use and climate change that are now unavoidable. 

Host: Gene Grant 

The Line Opinion Panel: 
Tom Garrity, The Garrity Group 
Sophie Martin, attorney 
Ed Perea, attorney and public safety expert 

For More Information: 
New Mexico’s Race Against the Climate Clock – Capital and Main 
When the Rio Grande Goes Dry – John Fleck 
A Dry Rio Grande – New York Times 
The End of the River – Texas Monthly