Irrigation Season Starts in Southern N.M.

Elephant Butte Dam

Albuquerque Journal - CABALLO (AP) — The Bureau of Reclamation says water will begin flowing from Caballo Reservoir into the Rio Grande in southern New Mexico early Sunday. The Rio Grande below the reservoir has been dry for several months, and the agency wants to warn anyone working or recreating in the area in the coming days about the change in the river’s state. The agency says it began moving water from Elephant Butte to Caballo Reservoir a few days ago to prepare for the first release. Federal water managers say this is shaping up to be a lower-than-average year for snowpack in all of the basins that feed the Rio Grande. The result is the Elephant Butte Irrigation District in southern New Mexico and irrigators in the El Paso area and Mexico have only 20 percent of their full allocation. Read More News New Mexico

Irrigation Season Starts in Southern N.M.