Decision Time on the Gila River
Gila River, NM | Sinjin EberleNew Mexico Governor Susana Martinez and the Interstate Stream Commission (ISC) must make a decision soon whether to move forward with plans to build a diversion project on the Gila River – one of American Rivers’ Most Endangered Rivers in 2014 – under the Arizona Water Settlements Act (AWSA). In a mere six weeks, the ISC will hold a meeting to make their decision. In my two previous blog posts, I outlined both the historic and current threats to the Gila: New Mexico’s last free-flowing river. To quickly recap, the AWSA provides $100 million in federal funding to meet water supply demands in Southwestern New Mexico. With this money, the State of New Mexico can either construct a diversion project on the Gila River OR finance any water project that meets regional water supply demand, including cost-effective municipal and agricultural conservation measures.
The Interstate Stream Commission is currently considering several large diversion projects that would take Gila River water and pump it over the Continental Divide to cities and farms outside the Colorado River Basin. According to a federal study, the costs of each proposed Gila River diversion alternative would outweigh the potential benefits to farmers and cities. A former ISC director also estimates that the cost of a diversion project on the Gila could exceed $1 billion. The AWSA subsidy won’t cover the full cost of the project, leaving a gap of $900 million for New Mexico taxpayers and water users to cover. All for a diversion project that will be difficult to build due to its remote location and will yield much less than a third of the legally available water due to the variable nature of Gila River flows, evaporation, and reservoir seepage. The diversion project will also negatively impact the unique hydrology and ecology of the Gila River.
Under AWSA, New Mexico has the choice to immediately spend $66 million on non-diversion water supply projects that will meet regional water supply need without building a costly, unnecessary diversion project that will leave many New Mexican taxpayers holding the bag for years to come.