Rio Grande flows again, but Albuquerque water managers warn it’s not enough

Water is flowing again through the Rio Grande in the Albuquerque metro after recent rainfall, but river managers say the surge is not nearly enough to ease drought conditions. The state is coming off one of its driest summers, and most of the precipitation so far has soaked into parched ground rather than reaching the river.

Anne Marken, river operations manager with the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District, said the rain has helped wildlife and allowed the district to resume some irrigation deliveries for the first time in a long time. Tributaries in Socorro have seen especially big benefits, she said.

“I think that will allow for more of that water to make it to the river, but ultimately, after these rainstorms pass, I think we’ll be back in another shortage sharing situation,” Marken said.

Marken said a lot of the recent rainfall has been absorbed into the ground, and farmers will need significantly more water in a short period to finish out the irrigation season. Conditions are forecast to remain wetter than usual across New Mexico through the rest of the month.

“Things have been so dry that I don’t expect to see the river stay continuous before the end of irrigation season this year, unless we see some significant rain inflows, but that’s a challenge to forecast,” Marken said.