Dwindling Colorado River Basin key to New Mexico agriculture

By SCOTT WYLAND
Santa Fe New Mexican

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A federal system of tunnels and dams known as the San Juan-Chama Project accounts for the bulk of the water New Mexico gets from the Colorado River Basin. There are some historic users such as Navajo Nation farmers diverting water separately from the federal system. Although the basin provides only about 10% of New Mexico’s total water supplies, how this water is used is essential, causing concerns about how climate change and increased demand are diminishing the Colorado River and prompting calls for the seven states within the basin to further reduce consumption.