ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — If hot and dry conditions persist, federal water managers warn that it's possible Albuquerque could see its stretch of the Rio Grande go dry this fall.
The Bureau of Reclamation has teamed up with the Interstate Stream Commission and irrigators to lease the last block of water available to keep the river as stable as possible before winter.
The entities will pay Albuquerque's water utility $700,000 for the extra water. Other emergency releases happened earlier this year as spring runoff was poor and the monsoon season was spotty.
Officials say New Mexico will wrap up the irrigation season with very little water left in storage.