What happens if the drought returns?
Experts predict that drought conditions are likely to continue for the foreseeable future. It will take several years of good snowpack and precipitation to restore reservoir levels to the state they were in four years ago. This presents a challenge for the State Engineer, whose job it is to manage water supplies for all New Mexicans. In a worst-case scenario, the State Engineer would have to make a priority call on certain river basins. Since New Mexico is a priority administration state, that means the first water users to put the water to beneficial use in the state or the more senior water rights have priority use over the more junior water rights. Water users need to be actively involved in the problem-solving process to find a way to share in the shortages and to discover other options during this time of drought. 5) Q: What is “priority administration”? A: Priority administration refers to the temporary curtailment of junior water rights in times of shortage, so that more senior
