Nearly every square mile of New Mexico has been mired in drought over the last several months.
Low rainfall also spells trouble for the Carlsbad Irrigation District’s reservoirs and the farmers and ranchers who depend on them.
Last year, hundreds of farmers and ranchers got a full allotment from the district this year after a healthy 2017 rainfalls and adequate snow packs that fed reservoirs.
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The district expects next year’s allotment may be dramatically lower because there was less than an inch of rain between October 2017 and summer 2018.
To save water, the district is keeping most of its water in northern areas where the air is cooler and there is less evaporation.
While the district has been able to issue a full or close-to-full allotment for the past five years, Ballard said he’s nervous that those days could be drying up.
To ensure that levels in the Capitan Reef Aquifer, which provides most of the city’s freshwater, stay adequate, the city has imposed water restrictions during warmer months.
The city is also considering using effluent water, or waste water, throughout city parks, Hernandez said.