Diego Muñoz, PIO with the New Mexico State Parks Division, explains the hazards, some hidden, which present when lake levels drop to extreme lows. Here's a transcript of his conversation with KC Counts:
KC Counts:
Give us an overview of what we're seeing on lakes around New Mexico, in terms of these extremely low water levels.
Diego Muñoz:
Absolutely. So, for the past several years now, New Mexico lakes have seen a tremendous decrease in water levels. And again, a lot of that is due large in part to the fact of the really no real snow melt that we've seen in the Rockies all the way up to Colorado. So we kind of go back to last winter. We hardly saw snow even here in New Mexico. And really what that kind of does is just make the problem worse, right? Because we're not getting that sort of replenishing that we normally would get in a traditional year.
KC Counts:
I think it was still wintertime. We'd been talking to experts about what we could see in the summer, especially regarding Elephant Butte. The number was, wow, we could see it go down to 2%. And here we are at 1.4%. How remarkable is this in your experience?
Diego Muñoz:
So, we have folks in our division that have been with state parks for over 20 years and so none of us have seen these types of low water levels. However, one of the things that is very important to kind of take a step back and remind ourselves is that Elephant Butte Reservoir, not only was it designed to operate at low water conditions, but the lowest record recorded level was 0.01%. And so we are well above the lowest recorded level. And again, we're just hoping for more moisture this coming monsoon season and of course, much more snowmelt hopefully this next spring.
KC Counts:
Yeah, right, we can hope. So, let's talk about what the impacts are to folks who like to go out and recreate on the lake. We've seen some boat ramps close as a result of this. Why is it that we have to close the ramp? I guess the ramp just ends at some point, right? And it's not safe to use anymore.
Diego Muñoz:
Absolutely, yes. And I love the term that we use here. We chase the water because obviously as conditions change, we're constantly trying to make recreation accessible at not just Elephant View Reservoir, but we do manage 19 other lakes across New Mexico. And so, our main goal is obviously not only to ensure public safety, but access has been a little bit of a, it's a working work in progress really, because we're trying to understand that really, we're going to be in these conditions for the next several years, right? Whether we - it's going to take several years to kind of get that kind of amount of water back into that lake. And so, one of the things that we're really trying to work on as a division is figuring out are there different ways of experiencing the lake? And one of the things that I've heard multiple people talk about is how easy it is to beach launch. So, paddle crafting, you know, human powered crafts are very, very easy to launch from any of the beaches across Elephant Butte. And then of course you get different perspective when you are in the water the channel obviously has is one of the smallest we've ever seen so that's another reason to continue to appreciate of course the natural resources that surround us and continue to also help and support the local communities that depend on us to visit.
KC Counts:
Can folks still launch boats into the lake?
Diego Muñoz:
Absolutely, yes. We have seen several people try to launch from the beach. And so, we of course ask folks to make sure that their vehicles are equipped 4 by 4 and obviously not trusting the way that you see the beach. We've seen a lot of folks get stuck because you think it's dry, but it's really not. But yes, we have seen several folks continue to access the water. The water is accessible. However, the boat ramp itself is shut down as we continue to work with our local, federal, and state officials to make sure that those that we're clearing, that we're drenching out the ramp itself and preparing, of course, for the next season.
KC Counts:
Yeah. And there are some other things to keep in mind as well. One of those warnings is to folks that would say be water skiing or pulling kids along on a raft, because that gets a lot more dangerous in these low water conditions, right?
Diego Muñoz:
So glad you mentioned this because that is one of the things that our chief law enforcement and marine law enforcement folks down there have been warning visitors about. These are historically low conditions. A lot of our team has not seen the new hazards or just the shallowness of the water can be very deceiving for folks. So, we do ask if you are on the water to, of course, slow down, make sure that everyone is wearing a life vest. That's obviously a crucial component when you're on the water anytime. Watch for, you know, submerged trees and rocks and debris that, again, are now exposed. And obviously, of course, the number one thing also is to just check current conditions before traveling or before visiting any New Mexico State Park. We have a new dashboard online that basically gives you up-to-date information on all of the 19 lakes that we manage across the state.
KC Counts:
So, I think a lot of people are wondering, and I have to admit, it's a topic of conversation around here in the hallways, right, at KRWG. And that is, as this water level goes down, what kind of stuff are you finding?
Diego Muñoz:
That's actually one of the questions that I think a lot of folks are asking themselves. Like I mentioned earlier, since this is a very historic low water level that we're seeing, the artifacts, debris that is being exposed now is obviously very old. It can be up to 50 years old, maybe even older than that. And so really what we're working with currently is our federal partners to ensure that folks know that anything that is exposed now is considered federal property. And it is subject to specific rules, right? And what we encourage folks is just if you see something, alert a park manager or a park ranger, but do not pick up or touch or disturb any of those artifacts. And then I know it gets really hard, right? Because you're seeing it from like a visitor's perspective if you're picking up trash, I know that that feels very helpful. And so one of the things that we also want to remind folks is that your safety is our number one priority. So we don't want anyone out there picking up something and potentially getting hurt or stuck. So the Friends group of Elephant Butte has actually scheduled several cleanup days, community cleanup days, where they're going to organize a bunch of folks to sort of come out and clean specific areas of the beach where we know some of the trash is just easier for folks to just sort of pick up while we deal with a lot of the debris that is going to be harder for us to get rid of really has a lot to do with the older marinas. that have not been operable for many, many, many years.
KC Counts:
So, leave my metal detector at home?
Diego Muñoz:
Definitely, yes. I know it can get, you can get very curious. And I still think it's a wonderful opportunity to visit and to remind yourself, right, of the delicate sort of ecosystem that we live in as humans, right? We're all sort of witnesses to history. And so I still think it's important to visit, to record for yourself, right, what this moment looks like and then hope for rain and for better monsoons here.
KC Counts:
And for a strong El Niño winter.
Diego Muñoz:
Yeah, I keep hearing, this monsoon is strong, but I still haven't seen a whole lot of rain.
KC Counts:
Not at my house either. Okay. Well, thank you so much for all of that helpful information. We'll catch up with the friends group and keep people aware of those cleanup days that are coming up. Thank you for passing that on.
Diego Muñoz:
Absolutely, yes. And thank you for having us on. And again, I just want to remind everyone out in wherever you are to visit your state parks and visit the rural communities that are around them because that's really the heart of New Mexico.
You can find the dashboard for lake conditions right here.
