The reprieve water regulators and irrigators were hoping for in the first weekend of May didn’t come.
While parts of the Albuquerque area saw some rain and it snowed elsewhere in New Mexico, that precipitation was not enough to turn the pumps serving Corrales back on, according to Amanda Molina, a spokesperson for the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District.
“For a couple of days, we had a little bit of extra water in the system,” Molina told the Corrales Comment. “But it wasn’t significant enough to impact the operation of the pumps.”
Most residents of the village rely on private wells for their drinking water and other household needs. Mayor Fred Hashimoto and his predecessor Jim Fahey have both identified obtaining long-term water rights as important to the future of Corrales.
The MRGCD shut down those pumps after the Rio Grande fell below the level needed to run them. The district is working on a replacement for the Corrales Siphon. That project is expected to be finished by the end of the year, meaning that Corrales will get irrigation water in parity with other communities served by the district.
That parity is likely to mean everyone gets less water. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s office said that an ongoing climate crisis is expected to leave New Mexico 25% drier within 50 years. The state recently launched a public dashboard that tracks progress on a 50-year water action plan aimed at preparing the state for that challenge. The plan is based on three pillars: conserving existing freshwater supplies, developing new water sources and protecting water quality.
Corrales irrigation updates
Monitor river and delivery conditions: mrgcd.com
Contact MRGCD: 505-247-0234