In a little over a month, Trump administration rollbacks to the Clean Water Act will go into effect.
Under the new rule, ephemeral waters, those that flow only in response to rainfall, are not protected. That’s 88 percent of our rivers and streams, amounting to over 88,000 stream miles.
In addition, the number of protected wetlands is substantially decreased under the new rule, leading to a potential loss of flood and pollution control, wildlife habitat, and recreation.
But the state may be able to mitigate the impact. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently announced a grant of nearly $670 thousand dollars to the New Mexico Environment Department. The funding will support management programs for nonpoint-source water pollution, which is caused when rainfall or snowmelt carries pollutants into rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_uSrqbJmZs&feature=youtu.be
To understand more about the changes could impact our region, I met with Grant County residents who are trying to bring an extra layer of protection to the Gila River watershed.
Brett Myrick is a fifth-generation New Mexican and advocates for Senator Tom Udall’s federal legislation to designate the Gila Watershed as Wild and Scenic.
“Well first, I believe, the Gila wilderness being the first designated wilderness in our country, setting the precedence for that, and here we have these waterways, these watersheds, coming out of America’s first designated wilderness, it stands to reason, those waters would be protected. Just as the wilderness is protected… Once it has wild and scenic designation, there would be no interest that would be able to come in, after the fact, and put in a paper pulp mill or some other type of industry, that would then be able to pollute those waters with toxic chemicals or anything like that. So, Absolutely, the Gila River would be protected. And that water would stay clean for the farmers and ranchers to be able to irrigate their crops and water their livestock,” Myrick said.
It’s not just the rollbacks to the Clean Water Act that have some residents concerned. It’s also the reduced protections under the Endangered Species Act. Those changes could potentially threaten local wildlife. Michael Robinson, Senior Conservation Advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity, says the consequences could be grave.
“Some of the effects are how projects that would affect habitat, that’s protected for imperiled species, are evaluated. And the Trump administration, in a very tricky, frankly, move, is saying if we have protected critical habitat, something that destroys the entirety of the habitat would be considered illegal. But if it just destroys half of it or a quarter of it… no big deal. But the problem is, these are species, for example, the yellow-billed cuckoo, that’s already on the brink of extinction,” Robinson said.
The yellow-billed cuckoo is just one of the many migratory birds that depend on the Gila River for a nesting ground. Currently, the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife is working to establish a protected habitat designation for the western population segment.
“I’m standing along the banks of the Gila river outside of Cliff New Mexico, where spring rains are helping to drive water downstream. But it’s the process of ephemeral streams leading into a river, like the Gila, that could be at risk with changes to the clean water act. And those changes could have devastating impacts on both native wildlife and the local economy.”
All these changes could mean potential issues for New Mexico tourism. According to the NMED, “Much of New Mexico’s outdoor recreation depends on our state having clean and protected water resources. Dirtier water = less recreation.”
According to a 2018 report from the New Mexico Tourism Department, a key objective is to grow visitation for New Mexico’s outdoor recreational activities. As of 2018, visitor spending increased by 7%. With visitors spending a total of $7.1 billion. Much of that was used on recreation and lodging.
Allyson Siwik, executive director for the Gila Resources Information Project, says the Gila is essential to the region.
“The Gila River is a key part of our outdoor recreation economy here in Grant County. And so, a lot of people come to this area of New Mexico because we have the nation's first wilderness area, established in 1924. We also have the Gila River, the states last free-flowing river, and one of the few remaining in the southwest. And so, these sort of iconic aspects of this area of the state are really critical to our outdoor recreation economy,” Siwik said.
According to the Pew Charitable Trust, the Gila and San Francisco rivers, along with tributaries, are one of the largest undammed watersheds in the Lower 48 states. The rivers provide traditional uses such as hunting and fishing, but also support a broad spectrum of outdoor recreation, a key driver for New Mexico’s economy.