From drinking water and cultural ceremonies to acequia farming and outdoor recreation, clean water supports all aspects of life in New Mexico. Water is a precious resource everywhere, but its importance is magnified in New Mexico’s arid climate.
Protect New Mexico Waters
New Mexico is full of
Iconic
Waters
But under a 2023 Supreme Court ruling, New Mexico’s rivers, streams, lakes, and wetlands are at risk like never before.
Watch the video and sign the petition to protect New Mexico’s waters!
WATCH HERE
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Explore an interactive map showing more details about New Mexico waters under threat after the 2023 Supreme Court.
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New Mexico’s robust outdoor recreation and agriculture economies rely on clean water and watersheds.
Voices for New Mexico Waters
The Threat
The 2023 Supreme Court ruling removes federal Clean Water Act protections for most of New Mexico’s waterways overall and almost ALL of our waterways that do not flow year-round.
The ruling negatively impacts New Mexico more than any state in the nation. The ruling removes federal Clean Water Act protections for the vast majority of waterways in New Mexico because:
- The ruling eliminates protections for all waters except those that are considered “relatively permanent.” For New Mexico, where 96% of our waters don’t flow year-round, this is devastating.
- The ruling eliminates protections for wetlands that do not have a “continuous surface water connection” to “relatively permanent” waters.
New Mexico is one of only three states that does not have a state program in place to control the dumping of contaminants into state waters. Urge the NM Legislature to establish and fund a state surface water pollution control program to protect New Mexico’s rivers, streams, and wetlands.
Spotlight on Threatened Waterways of New Mexico
Wetlands Spotlight
Wetlands serve several important functions. They help improve surface water quality by preventing erosion, stabilizing stream banks, breaking down some types of pollutants, and reducing flood damage. They recharge groundwater and are nature’s buffer zone between groundwater and surface water. In addition, they are our watershed’s natural reservoirs. Wetlands soak up spring runoff and slowly release water throughout the growing season, helping to provide consistent streamflow throughout the year.
After the 2023 Supreme Court ruling, only wetlands that have a continuous surface connection to a relatively permanent, standing, or continuously flowing body of water are now covered by the Clean Water Act. Estimates of loss of protections for New Mexico’s wetlands are dire – up to 88%.
Impacts
Indigenous and Land-Based Communities
Tribes, pueblos, and traditional land-based communities rely on freshwater for ceremonial purposes and to feed their families. The waterways that deliver this water lost protections under the 2023 Supreme Court ruling.
WATCH HERE
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WATCH HERE
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New Mexico’s Farming and Acequia Culture
Stream and acequia networks that support multi-generational farms make up the vast majority of waterways in New Mexico. These waterways are threatened by unregulated dumping, which would irreparably harm traditional land-based communities throughout the state.
Impacts to New Mexicans’ Drinking Water
Loss of federal protections threatens the drinking water of at least 900,000 people in New Mexico
WATCH HERE
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WATCH HERE
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New Mexico's outdoor recreation economy depends on clean water.
From New Mexico’s iconic Rio Grande to smaller waterways like arroyos, all of the state’s waters sustain critical economic activity.
The Solution
The State must step in to fill the regulatory gap left by the Supreme Court ruling
This ruling impacts New Mexico more than any other state in the nation. We need the state to create a state surface water permitting program to fill the gap left by this ruling and protect New Mexico’s waterways from unregulated dumping.
Take Action!
Join us to call on the legislature to provide funding for a state program to protect our waters from unregulated pollution.
Speak up for NM’s water! Share this story map with your friends and family.
Protect New Mexico Waters was created in partnership with Amigos Bravos, CCW, Single Space Strategies, and St. Mary's Geospatial
- Videography and original design were created in partnership with Amigos Bravos and CAVU.
- Protect New Mexico’s Waters is an updated version of this story map website. The first version credits can be found here
