Letters to the Editor 5/11/03

Only way to conserve water is to regulate

In Tuesday’s issue of the Clovis News Journal (The Liquid of Life, Part 1), I noted that the domestic use of water in Curry County is 111 acre feet per year. I took that to mean mostly residential use.

Agriculture, on the other hand, uses 199,264 acre feet per year.

This series of articles on the water issue was clearly telling us that our water demands far exceed nature’s ability to replenish the supply. This should worry all of us.

But does it really worry the state of New Mexico, which continues to issue permits for new wells on a routine basis?

In Wednesday’s CNJ, I noted in the Legal Notices (Legal No. 1696) that an individual is filing for a well permit. If approved, that well will use 955 acre feet of water per year. That’s more than eight times the annual domestic water use in the county.

In the legal notice, it states that if there is an objection to this well permit, it must be submitted in writing.

I don’t think a private individual, such as myself, can put together a satisfactory objection as I lack the expertise to prove the point. But one has to ask if some type of objection to these new wells shouldn’t be made by the county or the city or by someone with some clout who serves the domestic population.

Somewhere, somehow, the withdrawal of water from the Ogallala Aquifer has to be regulated. Perhaps this is the place to start.

If the water runs out, the communities die.

– Bob Baker

Clovis

Staff should be commended for water series project

I want to commend Clovis News Journal staff writers and photographers for describing what we face for the future in regards to our water situation in eastern New Mexico.

As city manager, I have been to numerous meetings of the Ute Water Commission and the Eastern New Mexico Rural Water Authority. In the last year I have witnessed more activity and have come to appreciate the importance of our water supply and quality.

Mayor David Lansford was recently elected chairman of the water authority. He has committed the board and they are engaged in finding solutions for our communities.

The eastern New Mexico communities are now meeting regularly and have set goals and objectives. Clovis is involved, engaged and committed to finding solutions for our future generations.

– Raymond Mondragon

Clovis city manager

Residents don’t want more railroad tracks in vicinity

In response to Lucille Bradburn (“Complaints about closing Wheaton Street are puzzling,” Tuesday’s Letters to the Editor):

I live near the Wheaton Street railroad crossing that may soon be closed. Just take a drive on the overpass on Hull Street or Prince Street and look down to the railroad tracks. Would you like to have that view in your back door? I don’t think so.

Also, those who live at Colonial Park have the right-of-way, all the way, for anything you want. We don’t. For an emergency, we have trains surrounding us in every crossing.

Yes, we are close to the hospital, but yet so far when we get stopped by trains at every crossing.

We don’t want any more railroad tracks out here.

So-o-o-o-o, that’s our problem.

– Crusita Sena

Clovis