Prolific rains in the Pecos River Basin from September 11th through September 16th, 2013 have dramatically increased water supply in the Pecos River and its reservoirs. Therefore, on September 13, 2013, the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission shut down its augmentation pumping of groundwater to the Pecos River. The Interstate Stream Commission had been pumping continuously since March 1, 2011 under the terms of the 2003 Pecos Settlement to provide additional water supply for use by farmers in the Carlsbad Irrigation District.
As of the morning of September 17th, Carlsbad Project surface-water supply was over 110,000 acre feet. That water is available for use by farmers in the Carlsbad Irrigation District. The Interstate Stream Commission’s Seven Rivers and Lake Arthur well fields, located within the Pecos River basin, between Roswell and Carlsbad, can remain shut down until at least March 2014, when water supply for the Carlsbad Irrigation District will be reassessed.
“The last three years have been the hottest and driest in New Mexico recorded history. Last week’s rains brought the region out of crisis status,” said Interstate Stream Director Estevan Lopez. “We’re relieved that we are no longer required to pump groundwater under the Pecos Settlement.”
The Pecos Settlement was signed in 2003 by the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission, the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer, the Pecos Valley Artesian Conservancy District, the Carlsbad Irrigation District and the United States through the Bureau of Reclamation.