Copyright © 2018 Albuquerque Journal The Rio Grande is again looking puny where it crosses through Albuquerque as persistent drought continues to afflict the Southwest.
But water groups around the state have pulled together to keep it flowing, at least until the end of the water year.
“They have enough, I believe, to get through the end of October, if need be.” John Fleck, director of the University of New Mexico’s Water Resources Program, said natural flows of the Rio Grande dried up in July, and it’s still flowing only because of water from the San Juan-Chama Project, which allows for the transport of Colorado River Basin water to supplement the Rio Grande.
The Rio Grande is in dire straits throughout its run from Colorado through New Mexico, Fleck said.
Frey said this year’s die-offs due to low water levels have occurred in the Chama, Brazos, Mora and Pecos rivers, as well as various lakes and ponds around the state.
But just 0.22 percent of the state is drought-free.
The exceptional drought area in the northwestern corner of the state showed a little growth, with more than 15 percent of the state now in the worst class of drought.
Fontenot said there’s a 65 to 70 percent chance of an El Niño weather pattern moving in during the coming months, which typically brings more precipitation.
But even if El Niño does arrive, it isn’t certain which areas it will affect and how much precipitation it’ll bring.
“We had an El Niño forecast here two years ago, and it was great for about two months until the jet stream moved farther north and winter kind of turned off.”