ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The 2020 irrigation season for farmers along the lower Rio Grande will begin in the coming days when U.S. water managers begin releasing water from one of New Mexico's largest dams.
The Bureau of Reclamation cautioned people below Elephant Butte and Caballo reservoirs that water will be flowing again through the dry riverbed.
Initial releases from both reservoirs could reach around 2,000 cubic feet per second. The flows will fluctuate throughout the season.
Officials say they're watching snowpack measurements and spring streamflow forecasts to prepare for operations.
Early forecasts indicate that runoff is close to average on the Rio Grande.