Fed official urges end to NM water lawsuits
August 29, 2012 12:44 GMT
%reldate(2012-08-29T12:40:33
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — A federal official is urging parties to end lawsuits involving Rio Grande water.
The Las Cruces Sun-News reports (http://bit.ly/QxfqsL) that U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Michael Connor told 500 attendees at a New Mexico State University water conference Tuesday that the lawsuits should be stalled until all sides get a better idea about the interaction between the surface water and groundwater in the Rio Grande basin.
Connor’s agency is embroiled in two major legal disputes that involve Dona Ana County farmers, El Paso farmers and the state of New Mexico.
Connor says the best fixes to the problems won’t be reached through the courts, but through water managers.
Water experts say there’s a hydrological connection between Rio Grande surface and groundwater close. But the legal line between them is unclear.
Information from: Las Cruces Sun-News, http://www.lcsun-news.com