By KRWG News
Las Cruces – New Mexico farmers who rely on runoff from winter snowfall are worried by a predicted weather pattern of warmer, drier winter weather in New Mexico and southern Colorado.
Farmers in southern New Mexico rely on the water once it reaches Elephant Butte Lake in the spring and summer.
Right now, there's not much water in the reservoirs designated for the Elephant Butte Irrigation District.
Irrigation district hydrologist James Narvaez says the district has only about 16,000 acre-feet of water in reservoirs.
In 2010, the district distributed 282,000 acre-feet of water to farmers, and Narvaez says 16,000 acre-feet is essentially zero.
He says that means next spring's water distribution will depend on runoff from winter snowfall in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado.
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Information from: Las Cruces Sun-News, http://www.lcsun-news.com
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.