[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 86 (Wednesday, June 28, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6630-S6631]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             THE DROUGHT AND WATER SITUATION IN NEW MEXICO

  Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, today I rise to share my concerns about 
the water crisis that has ravaged the West for more than 5 years.
  Water is our most precious and scarce resource. This year, my home 
State of New Mexico is battling a very real and devastating drought 
that has expanded throughout most of the Western United States. The 
ongoing drought continues to break records, and I believe that in years 
to come, 2006 will be looked at as the year where most basins set new 
record lows. The question on the minds of New Mexicans is, Will there 
be enough water to meet the current needs?
  Drought is a unique emergency situation because it creeps in unlike 
other abrupt weather disasters. New Mexico, like many other States in 
the West, has had little to no precipitation, and our winter snow pack 
was far below average. Many New Mexico towns, municipalities, and 
agricultural producers heavily rely on runoff provided by snowpack.
  On April 18, 2006, the Texas Agriculture Experiment Station predicted 
a dramatic decrease in water flows and reservoir storage throughout New 
Mexico. Early predictions indicate that river water supply will be at 
54 percent due primarily to receiving half our annual snowpack and 
above average temperatures in my State. Additionally, several of our 
reservoirs are at severely diminished capacity. Specifically, the 
Elephant Butte, El Vado and Caballo reservoirs are all well below 10 
percent of capacity. Earlier this year New Mexico's State engineer, 
John D'Antonio, correctly predicted that it will be difficult, if not 
impossible, without really good snowpack to keep the Rio Grande River 
flowing through the summer.
  The drought has exacerbated many of New Mexico's most acute problems. 
For example, wells are running dry, ranchers are being forced to sell 
their livestock, farmers are being forced to watch their way of life 
blow away with the dust, and many of our cities are in various stages 
of water restriction. Because of a lack of precipitation, many New 
Mexico communities are running out of water. The disruption to water 
supplies will have disastrous implications for affected communities. 
Absent some immediate help, it is unclear where these communities will 
get water for municipal purposes.
  The communities of Ruidoso, Ruidoso Downs, Las Vegas, Capitan,

[[Page S6631]]

and Cloudcroft, NM, are already operating under stringent water 
restrictions. I am happy to say that the fiscal year 2006 supplemental 
appropriations bill provided $9 million for drought emergency 
assistance to these and other New Mexico communities that have been 
especially hard hit by the drought.
  The Rio Grande River is another unfortunate example of the water 
shortages in New Mexico. Water flowing in the Rio Grande provides water 
to almost a million people living along its banks. New Mexico's largest 
cities and fastest growing towns are along the Rio Grande--the Pojoaque 
Valley, Santa Fe, Rio Rancho, Albuquerque, Los Lunas, and Belen.
  The drought and the mounting legal requirements on both the Pecos and 
Rio Grande Rivers are forcing us toward a severe water crisis in New 
Mexico. Indeed, every river in the intermountain west seems to be 
facing similar problems. Drought conditions have affected nearly 
everyone in our States in some way. As I have said many times, we must 
continue our efforts to stretch existing water supplies and create new 
water supplies by encouraging increased conservation efforts, a better 
understanding of available resources, and a more reasoned approach to 
endangered species and water quality regulations.
  America is reaching the extent of our water supply, and we cannot 
wait to address this problem. I believe we must bring to bear every 
tool available to confront these problems in the West, and doing so 
remains one of my top priorities.
  The fiscal impacts of drought on individuals, businesses, and 
governments are not insignificant. According to NOAA, there have been 
12 different drought events since 1980 that resulted in damages and 
costs exceeding $1 billion each. For instance, in 2000, severe drought 
in the South-Central and Southeastern States caused losses to 
agriculture and related industries of over $4 billion, and the Eastern 
drought in 1999 led to $1 billion in losses.
  While drought affects the economic and environmental well-being of 
the entire Nation, the United States lacks a cohesive strategy for 
dealing with serious drought emergencies. The current state of the 
drought should prompt us to take action. Better planning on our part 
could limit some of the damage felt by drought. I believe that passage 
of the National Integrated Drought Information System Act of 2006, S. 
2751, is a good start. Without a national drought policy in place, we 
constantly live with the uncertainty of what next year will bring.
  The past several days have brought some precipitation in places, but 
it alone will not be enough. These are difficult times, and all we can 
hope for is help where we can get it. I want to make the Senate aware 
of the difficulties we are experiencing in my home state because of the 
prolonged drought and the hot, dry, windy conditions, and as their 
Senator, I continue to ask for help on their behalf. As this drought 
persists, I want to ensure each New Mexican that I am committed to 
doing everything possible to make sure they have the tools and 
resources they need to help cope during this very difficult time.

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