To kick off Earth Day weekend, join us on Friday, April 17 at the Buckhorn Saloon & Opera House at 6:30 pm for a screening of the film Wrenched about how Edward Abbey lit the flame of environmental activism and gave the movement its soul. Footage of Ed Abbey himself and interviews with environmentalists, such as Dave Foreman of Earth First, Tim DeChristopher who went to prison calling attention to the climate crisis through his purchase of a BLM oil and gas lease, Colorado River protector Katie Lee, Center for Biological Diversity co-founder Kieran Suckling and many more.
We’ll also be auctioning off the Don Musser/Dan Swanson guitar that night, so make sure to purchase a raffle ticket online or stop by the GCC office at 305A North Cooper. Tickets are $50 and only 100 tickets will be sold. No need to be present to win. All proceeds from the guitar raffle will go towards efforts to protect the Gila River. Thanks to Sharon Bookwalter for her donation of this beautiful guitar. More photos and info on the raffle are available on-line.
Screening of Wrenched is sponsored by the Gila Conservation Coalition, Gila/Mimbres Community Radio, Buckhorn Saloon & Opera House, Upper Gila Watershed Alliance, Gila Resources Information Project, Great Old Broads for Wilderness, NM Wilderness Alliance.
Purchase a raffle ticket for a chance to win a handmade guitar by Don Musser and Dan Swanson. Tickets are $50 each and only 100 tickets will be sold. Stop by the GRIP/GCC office at 305A North Cooper St. or purchase on-line. All proceeds will go towards efforts to protect the Gila River.
WINNING TICKET WILL BE SELECTED ON APRIL 17, 2015 at screening of film Wrenched at Buckhorn Saloon & Opera House. No need to be present to win.
There is a short list of Don Musser guitar owners, including Peter Fonda, Tom Rush, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Neil Young, Bono and Eddie Van Halen. Built in collaboration with Dan Swanson using only the finest woods and materials, and voiced to produce the tone that meets Musser’s exacting standards, the guitar is an absolute masterpiece.
Value = $5000
Pre ban quarter sawn
Brazilian rosewood back & sides
Engelmann spruce top
Honduras mahogany neck
Macassar ebony fingerboard
Abalone top trim
Figured mahogany bindings
TKL hardshell case
THANKS to Sharon Bookwalter for the donation of the guitar!
Despite Public Outcry Interstate Stream Commission Staff Recommend Billion Dollar Boondoggle Diversion of the Gila River
November 14, 2014
Silver City, NM – At the final meeting of the Interstate Stream Commission (ISC) before it makes a decision on how best to use federal funds for Gila River projects, ISC staff recommended that commissioners pursue a harmful and expensive diversion of the Gila.
Staff recommended that less than 10% of the available funds be used for non-diversion alternatives proposed by local communities, including municipal conservation, directing the large bulk of the available funds for a diversion. New Mexico taxpayers would be forced to pay the bulk of the diversion’s cost, which goes well beyond the funds available through the Arizona Water Settlement Act (AWSA). A final decision was scheduled for November, but a first circuit court has ordered the ISC to withhold its decision because of a legal complaint under the Open Meetings Act.
“This irresponsible recommendation in favor of using 90% of available funds for a billion-dollar Gila diversion ignores the input of scientists, economists and citizens. Diversion puts New Mexico taxpayers on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars, when the science shows that the promised water is just not there. The staff is throwing bones to local communities with minuscule amounts for municipal water projects, while hiding how much we’ll be forced to spend on diversion, which will be much less effective at meeting our water needs. In a state with a billion-dollar backlog in water needs, as well as huge gaps in funding for education, health care and poverty reduction, this recommendation is actually insulting,” said Allyson Siwik, director of Gila Conservation Coalition.
ISC staff recommended using $7.85 million for non-diversion alternatives generated by local communities – less than 10% of the available funds. Staff also recommended that the commission submit the letter required by the AWSA to the Secretary of the Interior, Sally Jewell, by Dec. 31, indicating that the ISC would pursue diversion.
Former ISC director Norm Gaume, in his testimony at Friday’s meeting, asked, “Why has ISC kept secret the data regarding legally divertable water from the Gila River? And why hasn’t the ISC conducted credible analysis of project yield from the Gila diversion project?” Gaume is the plaintiff in a lawsuit against the ISC for violations of the Open Meetings Act. The judge in the case has issued an injunction keeping the ISC from issuing any decisions until he rules on the case. A hearing scheduled for last Wednesday was postponed.
Todd Schulke, co-founder of the Center for Biological Diversity, vowed to “fight this billion dollar boondoggle tooth and nail, every step of the way.”
Other members of the public also commented during the ISC meeting, but the Commission has not recorded the content of public comment in its record so far.
Sarah Boyett, a small-business owner from Silver City, told ISC commissioners, “your decision should be guided by fiscal prudence and responsibility to New Mexico taxpayers. Please pass on diversion and use AWSA money for non-diversion alternatives.”
Jason Amaro, speaking for sportsmen in New Mexico, said, “We are absolutely opposed to a Gila River diverson. Gila-area recreation provides 8,000 jobs and $613 million yearly to the local economy.”
Jim Brooks, a retired U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist, said “As it currently stands, ISC funded studies do not represent the best available scientific information. Selection of the diversion alternative would be without scientifically credible justification.”
Terry Timme of the Southwestern New Mexico Audubon Society said, “The Cliff-Gila Valley is home to the largest concentration of breeding birds in the United States. A diversion would threaten the delicate natural balance that makes this area so special. Taxpayers’ money would be better spent on conservation alternatives that protect the ecology of the Gila River and are also an efficient use of both money and water.”
Report Shows Gila Diversion At Risk for Fatal Flaws
Silver City, NM – The Gila Conservation Coalition sent a letter on Monday to Interstate Stream Commission (ISC) chairman, Jim Dunlap, outlining how commissioners were misled by staff about conclusions of an independent engineering review by RJH Consultants (RJH) of the Gila River diversion Preliminary Engineering Report (PER) prepared by Bohannan Huston (BHI). The conclusions were contradicted by the FY15 Gila Diversion work plan prepared by staff and approved by ISC Commissioners at their meeting in June. The work plan claimed that RJH confirmed that the BHI study was “adequate for conceptual level project planning,” but RJH found that “several project components were not adequately addressed in the PER and it is currently unknown if these components represent significant technical challenges or potential fatal flaws….for storage reservoirs and dams, project water availability, and Gila River sediment.” There are currently no plans approved by the ISC to evaluate issues identified by RJH as high priority and critical to determining if the Gila River diversion project is fatally flawed from a technical or financial perspective. Though over $1 million was approved by the ISC for the first half of FY2015, it is unclear what the ISC will do with this funding and if answers to key questions raised by RJH will be addressed.
“The feedback provided by RJH Consultants corroborates the technical input provided to the Commission by former ISC director Norm Gaume. Ignoring the recommendations of the professional engineers at RJH is irresponsible and unprofessional and could result in millions of dollars in wasted Arizona Water Settlements Act (AWSA) funding on a Gila River diversion project that is fatally flawed,” stated Allyson Siwik, Executive Director of the Gila Conservation Coalition.
In testimony and a report presented to the ISC at its monthly meeting in Tucumcari on April 30, former ISC director Norm Gaume told commissioners that the Gila River diversion proposal currently under consideration “would produce little or no water but with major waste of money, time and effort.” Gaume’s analysis of the BHI PER concludes that the average net yield of the Gila River diversion project will be much less than half of the 14,000 acre-foot per year junior water right; the safe yield (minimum annual yield) will be very small or perhaps zero; the project will be hugely expensive to build; operations will be inordinately costly due to energy and exchange costs alone; and existing water rates for project beneficiaries would more than double and $100’s of millions of state funding would be required for construction.
In its engineering review, RJH identifies a number of potential fatal project flaws from either a technical or financial standpoint that were not adequately addressed in the BHI PER, including the following:
No Quantification of Seepage Losses – “The expected seepage losses, when combined with the evaporative losses could easily equal or exceed the planned minimum annual diversion yield of 10,000 acre-feet, which would result in no available usable water from the project.” The Phase II BHI work plan and FY2015 work plan do not include a task to estimate seepage losses of the Gila River diversion project.
Lack of Concept Plans for Storage Reservoir Dams – RJH recommends that “typical concept plans and sections for the Alternate 2B dams be developed including developing appropriate quantities required to construct zoned earthfill dams, which were not included in the conceptual-level cost estimate.” Because this could be such a significant cost, RJH identifies this task as a top priority as it could make the project infeasible. The Phase II BHI work plan and FY2015 work plan do not include tasks to address this key element.
Project Water Availability and Yield Not Assessed – RJH states that the annual diversion yield is needed in order to correctly size reservoirs and conveyance facilities and determine amount of water the diversion could produce reliably. The PER also did not quantify projected annual net yield that is, according to RJH, “the foundation for justifying the project. When estimating the net project yield, Gila River historical flow and diversion records, past and projected future hydrologic cycles of drought and higher than average precipitation should be compared to computed system losses to evaluate long-term project viability.” This fundamental task is not included in either the BHI Phase II work plan or in the FY2015 work plan.
Project Cost Estimates for Dams “Substantially Understated” RJH identified 12 missing major elements required to safely design and construct zoned embankment dams. RJH’s opinion is that “the total cost for the project may be significantly low. There is considerable uncertainty in many geological and design concepts for the dam and some of the required elements of the dams were not included. In additional some of the unit costs are unrealistically low. When all of these elements are considered, it is our opinion that the cost of the dams could be underestimated by more than 100 percent. Therefore it is our opinion that the overall project costs may be 25 – 50 percent higher than the current estimate.” It is unclear from the BHI Phase II work plan if RJH’s recommendations to revise the conceptual level cost estimate for the project will be implemented.
Sediment Control Was Not Addressed RJH states that “sedimentation could have a significant impact on design, sizing, and feasibility of the diversion, conveyance and storage reservoirs….. ….This potentially important issue does not appear to have been addressed. Depending on the results of this evaluation, this could become a significant project feasibility issue.” It is unclear from review of the BHI Phase II work plan and FY2015 work plan if sedimentation will be adequately addressed.
“The ISC must conduct additional work to determine if the Gila River diversion is fatally flawed. By ignoring its own independent engineering review, the ISC risks millions of dollars in AWSA funding and taxpayer dollars to continue to pursue a project that is potentially technically and financially infeasible,” explained Siwik.
The Gila Conservation Coalition invites you to join us at the 4th Annual Wild & Scenic Film Festival on Saturday, June 7 at 6:30 pm at the Buckhorn Saloon and Opera House in Pinos Altos. The new Gila River CD/DVD set, with songs written and performed by local musicians and films about the Gila, will also be released at the event. Some of the featured musicians on the CD will perform their Gila River songs throughout the film fest. The CD/DVD set will also be available for purchase. Tickets are $12 at the door, GCC members $10, and students are free. A special price for admission plus a GCC membership will be offered for $20. All proceeds from the film fest and sales of the CD/DVD set will benefit the Gila Conservation Coalition’s work to protect the Gila River.
The Wild & Scenic Film Festival will feature films of wild rivers, misguided dam projects, and inspiring tales of activism around the globe. We have a great lineup, including funny and moving films, animated films, and two movies about the Gila’s larger basin, the Colorado.
One of the festival’s feature films, Damocracy debunks the myth of large-scale dams as clean energy and a solution to climate change.It records the priceless cultural and natural heritage the world will lose in the Amazon and Mesopotamia if two planned large-scale dams are built, Belo Monte dam in Brazil and Ilisu dam in Turkey. One of the latest animated shorts from Free Range Studios, The Story of Solutions, asks “what if the goal of our economy wasn’t more, but better? better health, better jobs and a better chance to survive on the planet?” You’ll enjoy spectacular imagery in such films as Paramos: Water for Life and I am Red.
Wild Gila: Forever Free is the title of the new CD/DVD compilation of original Gila River music and films produced by GCC to celebrate New Mexico’s last wild river. The CD features original songs performed by Charlie Alfero, Azaima B Anderson, Bayou Seco, Michael Cook, Andrew Dahl-Bredine, Peggy Hunter Edmister, The Fiddle Club, Gordee Headlee, Daniel La Brake, Wally Lawder, Ron McFarland, Paul Pino, Greg Renfro, Silver City String Beans and Barbie Williamson. The DVD includes films by the Gila Conservation Coalition, WNMU digital media professor and artist Peter Bill, and filmmaker Nat Stone.
Several musicians will appear live to perform their original songs throughout the film fest. Great prizes from national sponsors Patagonia, CLIF Bar, Osprey Packs, Sierra Nevada Brewing and Mother Jones will be awarded as part of the raffle, free with admission.
The Wild & Scenic Film Festival is a natural extension of the Gila Conservation Coalition’s work to inspire people to act on behalf of the Gila River and its watershed. Events such as GCC’s annual Gila River Festival are an opportunity for people to appreciate and understand the importance of New Mexico’s last free flowing river and to encourage them to work to preserve this incredible resource. The Wild & Scenic Film Festival shows us through film how communities like ours are working to protect their watersheds and unique landscapes.
The Wild & Scenic Film Festival was started by the watershed advocacy group, the South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) in 2003. The festival’s namesake is in celebration of SYRCL’s landmark victory to receive “Wild & Scenic” status for 39 miles of the South Yuba River in 1999. The 3-day event features over 100 award-winning films and welcomes over 100 guest speakers, celebrities, and activists who bring a human face to the environmental movement. The home festival kicks-off the national tour to over 100 communities nationwide allowing SYRCL to share their success as an environmental group with others organizations. It is building a network of grassroots organizations connected by a common goal of using film to inspire activism.
With the support of their National Partners, Patagonia, CLIF Bar, Osprey Packs, Sierra Nevada Brewing and Mother Jones, the festival can reach an even larger audience in tour venues coast to coast.
A special thanks to our local sponsors: Gila/Mimbres Community Radio, Conservation By Design, Curious Kumquat, Cissy McAndrew – United Country Mimbres Realty, Gila Hike & Bike, Gila Native Plant Society, Gila Resources Information Project, Heartpath-Meyoni, Martha & Tom Cooper, Morning Star, New Mexico Wilderness Alliance, Silver City Food Co-op, Stream Dynamics, Syzygy Tile, TheraSpeech, Upper Gila Watershed Alliance, and Western Institute for Lifelong Learning
In testimony and a report presented to the Interstate Stream Commission at their monthly meeting in Tucumcari on April 30, former ISC director, Norm Gaume, told commissioners that the Gila River diversion proposal currently under consideration “would produce little or no water but with major waste of money, time and effort. A portion of the wild Gila River would be destroyed. More likely, many years, substantial human effort and millions of dollars would be wasted on the federal decision‐making process that ultimately would reach the same rational conclusion that the ISC should make before the end of 2014.”
Washington, D.C.- American Rivers named the Gila River among America’s Most Endangered Rivers® of 2014 today, shining a national spotlight on the threat that an expensive and unnecessary pipeline and diversion project poses to New Mexico’s last free-flowing river. “The America’s Most Endangered Rivers report is a call to action to save rivers that are at a critical tipping point,” said Matt Niemerski of American Rivers. “It makes no sense to build an expensive and harmful diversion on New Mexico’s last free-flowing river when quicker, easier, and cheaper water supply solutions exist.”
Under a provision of the Arizona Water Settlements Act, construction of a large diversion project is planned on the Gila River that would capture an average of 14,000 acre-feet of water annually, or double the current withdrawals, to increase crop production and urbanization. Fortunately, cheaper, more cost-effective water supply solutions exist, such as municipal and agricultural conservation, effluent reuse, sustainable use of existing groundwater supplies, and watershed restoration.
American Rivers and its partners called on New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez to protect the Gila River and ensure that her Interstate Stream Commission implements cheaper and more effective non-diversion alternatives to meet southwest New Mexico’s water supply needs.
“Expert analysis has shown that the ISC’s proposal is fatally flawed and will not work as currently conceived,” said Allyson Siwik, Executive Director of the Gila Conservation Coalition. “The good news is that southwestern New Mexico’s future water needs can be met through non-diversion conservation alternatives that can be easily funded with the federal funding available under the Arizona Water Settlements Act. These measures, such as municipal and agricultural conservation, effluent reuse, sustainable groundwater management, and watershed restoration, can generate three times the amount of water at a fraction of the cost of an expensive and harmful diversion project.”
“A diversion on the Gila would be devastating to New Mexico’s natural heritage,” said Beth Bardwell, Director of Freshwater Conservation for Audubon New Mexico. “What’s at stake is the largest stretch of cottonwood-willow riparian forest remaining in New Mexico, one of the highest concentrations of breeding birds in North America, and a living river that supports outdoor recreation and tourism for rural communities.”
“Governor Martinez and the Interstate Stream Commission should do the right thing and reject the Gila diversion,” said Jason Amaro, New Mexico Wildlife Federation board member. “We need to maintain and enhance the health of the Gila River, the foundation of hunting and fishing related opportunities in southwestern New Mexico. By supporting conservation alternatives to diversion, New Mexico can satisfy its water needs while protecting the quality of this premier outdoor recreation destination and supporting local economies dependent upon river-related recreation.”
When asked in a June 2013 poll which approach they would prefer to address the state’s water situation, New Mexico residents overwhelmingly supported conservation-based alternatives to diversions. Eighty-five percent of residents support using current water supplies more wisely, by continuing to conserve water, using new technology to help reduce wasted water, and increasing recycling of water.
A tributary to the Colorado River, the Gila originates in America’s first designated wilderness area, the Gila Wilderness, and is rich in biological diversity and cultural history. The Gila River supports healthy riverside forests, cold water fisheries, and a remarkable abundance of wildlife. The river also provides significant economic value to the region with unparalleled opportunities for outdoor recreation, nature-based travel, and wilderness experience.
The annual America’s Most Endangered Rivers® report is a list of rivers at a crossroads, where key decisions in the coming months will determine the rivers’ fates. Over the years, the report has helped spur many successes, including the removal of outdated dams, the protection of rivers with Wild and Scenic designations, and the prevention of harmful development and pollution.
America’s Most Endangered Rivers® of 2014
#1 San Joaquin River (California)
Threat: Outdated water management and excessive diversions
#2 Upper Colorado River Basin (Colorado)
Threat: New trans-mountain water diversions
Former ISC Director says Gila River Diversion Fatally Flawed
Interstate Stream Commission admits no plan to address technical and cost issues
Santa Fe, NM – At a packed Senate Floor hearing in the New Mexico Legislature, the Senate Conservation Committee failed to advance Senate Bill 89 out of committee. SB89 “Unit Fund for Certain Water Supply Needs” would have directed the Interstate Stream Commission to spend no less than $82 million of the total amount distributed to the state under the Arizona Water Settlements Act on cost effective non-diversion alternatives to meet water supply demands in the southwest water planning region of New Mexico.
During the hearing, former Interstate Stream Commission director, Norm Gaume, stated that the ISC’s Gila River diversion is fatally flawed and likely to cost much more than current ISC cost estimates. He explained that due to the high amount of sediment in the Gila River, the current proposed design for conveyance of river water by gravity from the diversion through a 10-mile long pipeline is technically infeasible, as the pipeline would become clogged with large quantities of silt and require high cost pumps to clear out.
Gaume went on to point out that the amount of water from the proposed project will be significantly less due to the high evaporation and seepage losses from reservoirs constructed in broad sandy arroyos.
He stated that the diversion structure as currently designed is also technically flawed. “My opinion is ‘will the river obliterate it before it buries it or will it get buried first?’ It will not survive.”
Following Gaume’s testimony current ISC director, Estevan Lopez, admitted that the ISC’s current proposal wouldn’t address the fatal flaws identified by the former ISC director. “I don’t know how we will use the water and how we will pay for it. Norm could be right. [The actual cost] is way above the estimate.”
Not only is the proposed Gila River diversion likely to cost hundreds of millions of dollars more than current estimates, but the federal subsidy provided under the AWSA is likely to be significantly less. Senator Peter Wirth, co-sponsor of SB89, received clarification from the Bureau of Reclamation prior to the hearing that only a total of $100 million (2004 year dollars) is available to New Mexico given that interest in the Lower Colorado Basin Development Fund has been significantly less than 4%, the trigger for additional funds for a Gila River diversion project.
“We now know that we have an even smaller federal subsidy available for this project, increasing the cost that New Mexicans will have to shoulder if the state moves forward with a Gila River diversion,” said Allyson Siwik, director of the Gila Conservation Coalition. “New Mexicans will owe $200 million – $350 million more than is currently available. These numbers are likely to go up once the real costs are available.”
Critics of the proposed diversion, represented by over 100 members from 22 sportsman, business, faith-based, recreation, and conservation groups, made the charge that the project does not make any sense economically and will impact the recreation and tourism benefits supported by the Gila River, adding that there are cost effective non-diversion approaches to meeting the long-term water needs of southwestern New Mexico.
The Interstate Stream Commission is evaluating 3 diversion projects and 12 non-diversion projects. River advocates support the non-diversion projects that SB89 would have funded.
“With six months left before a preliminary decision, the ISC admitted they don’t currently have a plan to address the fatal flaws in the Gila diversion project. It’s reckless to commit tax payer dollars to a project that will not work,” said Siwik.
“Non-diversion alternatives produce more water for less money. We can use AWSA funding to meet our water needs immediately and save everyone time and financial resources on a project that won’t work and we can’t pay for,” said Siwik.
The proposal has been highly controversial since it’s inception due to the unique nature of the Gila River.
The Gila is New Mexico’s last wild river. It’s home to five endangered species,” said Todd Schulke, senior staffer with the Center for Biological Diversity. “It’s clear after yesterday’s hearing that the project is fatally flawed technically and economically and the ISC has no plan to fix these fatal flaws. This project is highly unlikely to ever get built,” added Schulke.
Santa Fe, NM – Senator Howie Morales (D-28-Catron, Grant & Socorro), Chair of the interim Economic and Rural Development Committee, announced his co-sponsorship today of two bills pre-filed by Senator Peter Wirth (D-25-Santa Fe), SB 89 and SB 90. The bills would protect taxpayers from a costly Gila River Diversion project while prioritizing conservation alternatives to secure Southwest New Mexico’s water supply.
Proposed Gila River diversion projects could cost more than $400 million, about half coming from federal funds and leaving New Mexico taxpayers responsible for the balance. The 2014 legislative session is the last opportunity for the Legislature to weigh in before the Interstate Stream Commission (ISC), a nine member body appointed by the governor, makes a final decision on behalf of the state.
“In my corner of the Land of Enchantment, the Gila River is the state’s last major free-flowing river. It draws in visitors and residents that support our local economy,” said Sen. Morales. “If we divert and transfer a significant amount of Gila water to other parts of the state for urban development, the economic and ecologic health of my district would be jeopardized now and in the future.”
According to Morales, $82 million in non-reimbursable federal funding available under the Arizona Water Settlements Act can secure more than 20,000 acre-feet of water through cost-effective measures, such as municipal conservation, agricultural conservation, watershed restoration, effluent reuse, and sustainable groundwater programs. This water can meet the needs of southwestern New Mexico far into the future.
“I stand with Senator Wirth in urging the New Mexico ISC and my fellow legislators to chart a different course for addressing New Mexico’s water supply issues,” continued Morales. “The fiscally responsible approach is to use the available federal subsidy to fund cheaper alternatives that can immediately meet the water needs of communities throughout southwest New Mexico.”
The legislation will ensure that the state budget will not be unduly impacted by a large scale diversion on the Gila River and allow for funding of southwestern New Mexico’s water supply through cost-effective alternatives to a diversion project.
Molly Mugglestone, Co-Director, Protect the Flows, 970-275-8909
Concern for Recreation & Tourism Economy Sparks Letter to Governor
NM business leaders see economic decline coming from controversial Gila River diversion under assessment
Albuquerque, NM – More than 300 New Mexico businesses, including the statewide NM Green Chamber, Las Cruces Green Chamber and Southwest NM Green chamber, sent a letter to Governor Susana Martinez today asking her to reject expensive and unpopular water diversion projects as she decides on best approaches to secure Southwestern New Mexico’s future water supply, and to strongly consider cost effective, common sense alternatives. The letter comes as the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission (ISC) weighs options to divert water from the Gila River, a project permitted by the Arizona Water Settlements Act (AWSA) of 2004. ISC staff is expected to present preliminary results of analyses of Gila River diversion alternatives at a meeting in Santa Fe next week in preparation for the legislative session.
“The Gila is New Mexico’s last free-flowing river. The wildlife and fisheries that are supported by the river are coveted by sportsmen throughout the U.S.,” said Kurt Albershardt, owner of the Murray Hotel in Silver City. “The Gila Wilderness, kept vibrant by a healthy Gila River flowing through it, beckons hikers, birders, hunters and anglers and helps to support a $1.6 billion outdoor recreation economy based on the Colorado River’s four main tributaries in New Mexico. Diverting water from the Gila would harm wildlife, limit recreation opportunities and almost certainly wither an important part of our local economy.”
According to a 2012 report commissioned by business coalition Protect the Flows (which includes more than 200 New Mexico owned businesses), the Colorado River and its tributaries support a $26 billion river-related economy across six states, drawing revenue from more than 5 million adults who use the Colorado River system for recreational activities each year. From this, New Mexico enjoys $1.2 billion in direct spending on river recreation and fills 17,000 jobs. Seemingly simple outdoor activities like picnicking, trail activities, wildlife watching, camping, fishing, water sports, bicycling, snow sports, and hunting are major economic drivers that pour millions of dollars into New Mexico’s local businesses and state treasury. Southern New Mexico visitor spending is growing faster than in other parts of the state according to 2011 figures, with southwestern counties including Grant County generating from $34 to $61 million each. A significant portion of this bounty disappears should the Gila River, a major tributary of the Colorado, no longer flow free and attract recreation and tourism.
“A Gila River diversion is an incredibly costly enterprise, and for an exorbitant price tag of well over $300 million we will get only a short-term fix,” said Duane Mosley, Market Manager for the Las Cruces Farmers and Crafts Market. “After utilizing the money allotted for the project by AWSA, New Mexico taxpayers and water users are still stuck with a bill of approximately 200 million dollars. Adding in the annual operation and maintenance costs of a diversion will cost taxpayers another several million dollars per year.
A poll of New Mexico voters conducted by Republican polling firm Public Opinion Strategies in 2013 found that a majority of New Mexicans favor water conservation measures, with 85% believing that using water wisely — by continuing to conserve water, using new technology such as water-saving irrigation systems for farmers and ranchers to help reduce wasted water, replacing outdated water infrastructure, and increasing recycling of water – is preferable to diverting more water from New Mexico’s rivers to communities where more people live.
These public preferences are consistent with the December 2012 Colorado River Basin Water Supply and Demand Study, co-authored by the Bureau of Reclamation, the State of New Mexico and the other basin states, which concluded that conservation and water re-use are the cheapest and easiest solutions to implement as a means to balancing supply and demand on the river and its tributaries.
The poll also showed the great concern New Mexico voters have about water issues, specifically about the impact a Gila River diversion would have on wildlife and the health of the river. Overwhelmingly, 90% of New Mexicans feel that rivers are critical to their quality of life, 86% see rivers as critical to New Mexico’s outdoor recreation opportunities, and 85% feel that rivers are critical to the state’s economy.
“In the past 50 years, there have been three failed attempts to dam and divert the Gila, each attempt repelled by staunch opposition,” said Christie Baca, RDH at Divine Dental of Santa Fe. “Now we face yet another threat, and the reasons for previous resistance remain. We urge Governor Martinez and the ISC to ask themselves: Why impair a wild and free river that supports abundant wildlife and attracts outdoor recreationists spending time and money in New Mexico, when we can develop effective and cheaper non-diversion alternatives that would keep our Gila River flowing free?”
