April 05, 2007
June Tour Compares Republican and Pecos River Compacts
LINCOLN, Neb. — An early June tour to New Mexico will compare and contrast interstate water compacts on Nebraska's Republican River and New Mexico's Pecos River to see what can be learned from the latter's compact with Texas.
The tour is June 4-7, beginning and ending in Albuquerque, N.M.
"There are so many similarities between these two river basins in terms of flow, agricultural usage, and importance to their respective states and in particular how interstate compacts and lawsuits have affected water use by the compact states," said tour co-organizer Michael Jess, associate director of the UNL Water Center.
"I think Nebraska legislators, irrigators, producers and those interested in state water issues can learn a great deal on how we might be able to resolve our challenges on the Republican River by hearing and observing what's been done on the Pecos (river) in New Mexico over the past 20 years," Jess said.
Both river basins have traditionally been plagued with over-appropriated stream flows and overcommitted groundwater supplies. Interstate compacts, both of which were adopted in the 1940s, and subsequent litigation have limited consumptive water use by Nebraska on the Republican River and New Mexico, on the Pecos River.
Citing excessive water use, Kansas sued Nebraska and Colorado in 1998 over Republican River water and the three states negotiated a settlement in 2002. Texas similarly sued New Mexico in 1974 over a claimed deficit of 1.1 million acre-feet of Pecos River water and the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Texas' favor in 1987.
An acre-foot is enough water to cover an acre of land with water one foot deep, or approximately 326,000 gallons.
The settlement, in Nebraska's case, and court ruling, in New Mexico's case have had major consequences for those state's water use from the two rivers, as well as multi-million dollar impacts to their respective state budgets, Jess said.
"Consequences here have included halting additional development and restricting surface water and groundwater use in much the Republican basin and yet so far, we have been unable to fully constrain our use of water from that basin," Jess said.
Excessive use of Nebraska's portion of Republican River water amounted to 200,000 acre-feet from 2003 to 2006, according to Governor Dave Heineman and Nebraska Natural Resources Director Ann Bleed.
"Since the Supreme Court ruled in he Pecos River case, New Mexico has fulfilled all water flow and other requirements to Texas," Jess said.
To meet those flow demands, New Mexico embarked on an aggressive program of buying land and water rights, from willing sellers, in key irrigation areas of the Pecos River and then retired irrigation to those lands. New Mexico also is designing and installing augmentation well fields near the river that will help maintain flows to Texas during periods of low river flows.
"Clearly, we have much to learn from New Mexico's experience and the particular models and methods they've developed to meet their interstate compact obligations," said Jess.
June's four-day tour is one of the first outside Nebraska and contiguous states in many years.
"We're aware that most people have limited travel time and budgets, so that has been one of a number of reasons to keep the tours in or near Nebraska. In this case, however, there's no other way to see the similarities and differences between these two basins and compacts then to go there and hear from those that have been involved in the litigation and the decision making processes," Jess said.
The tour bus leaves Albuquerque for Santa Fe, N.M., on Monday morning, June 4. Following an initial stop at Pecos National Historical Park, afternoon briefings will give tour participants background on the physical, legal and institutional framework of New Mexico's Pecos River watershed. Talks will focus on the geography and hydrology of the Pecos basin, the 1948 compact with Texas, disputes between the two states and the roles played by the New Mexico engineer's office and interstate stream commission.
Speakers will include compact attorney Jay Stein of Stein and Brockmann, P.C., Santa Fe; former state engineer and commissioner of reclamation Eluid Martinez; interstate stream engineer Estevan Lopez; and hydrologist Lewis Land of the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources.
Participants are on their own Monday evening for shopping and dining in Santa Fe.
On Tuesday, June 5, the tour leaves Santa Fe for Santa Rosa, on the northern end of the Pecos River basin, where in-depth discussions and observations of the Pecos River will continue.
That afternoon, the tour continues south through the basin toward Ft. Sumner and Roswell where irrigation district operations and state augmentation well fields will be inspected.
Tuesday and Wednesday lodging will be in Roswell, where talks will focus on irrigated agriculture, including farming of chilies, pecans, hay, cotton and other crops.
On Wednesday, June 6, the tour heads south to Artesia and Carlsbad for a close look at Carlsbad Irrigation District facilities at Bartley Reservoir, Lake McMillan, a district aqueduct over the Pecos River in Carlsbad and other features.
There will also be discussion of efforts to control salt cedar growth, which has choked parts of the Pecos River, much as it has some rivers and streams in Nebraska.
Local irrigators and producers, state legislators and others will lead panel discussions of area challenges.
On Wednesday evening a lecture and visit to the UFO museum and research center in Roswell is planned. The museum is the most visited of any museum in New Mexico.
Inspection of locally grown crops, artesian wells, irrigation canals, operations of the Hagerman Irrigation Co. and New Mexico's augmentation well field continues on Thursday, June 7, near Roswell and Artesia.
The tour leaves Roswell for Albuquerque that afternoon.
"There is much to be learned in the New Mexico experience of interstate compact implementation that we here in Nebraska can benefit from in forming some possible solutions to our own challenges on the Republican River and on other river basins in Nebraska that are fully or over-appropriated," Jess said.
Tour price is $925 single occupancy or $775 double occupancy and includes Sunday, June 3 and Thursday, June 7 lodging in Albuquerque. Travel to and from Albuquerque is not included in the tour package, which otherwise covers all food, motel and motor coach expenses. To register, or for more information, contact Kearney Area Chamber of Commerce vice president Sara Rector at (800) 227-8340. Registration deadline is May 1 and participation is limited to the first 50 registrants.
Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District, Gateway Farm Expo, Kearney Area Chamber of Commerce, Nebraska Water Conference Council, Nebraska Association of Resource Districts, Nebraska Public Power District and the UNL Water Center cosponsor the tour.
4/5/07-SR J. Michael Jess
UNL Water Center Acting Director (402) 472-7570
 
Steve Ress UNL Water Center - Communications Coordinator (402) 472-3305
Department:
School of Natural Resources
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