Public reaction mixed on water sustainability

Staff Writer

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On the heels of the Eastern New Mexico Water Conservation Summit, public reaction to the approach with regard to local water sustainability remains varied.

The summit offered a series of presenters and a pair of panel discussions with an eye toward present practices and potential sourcing options.

“I believe in being proactive and we really have to get ahead of this thing,” said Clovis resident Blake Thorpe in referencing the area water concerns. “It’s not a bad idea to have a fresh set of eyes on the matter and find a means of determining the best solutions. The Ute Lake project has long been on the table, with a price tag of hundreds of millions of dollars — so I think we need to find out what else is out there.”

Curry County rancher and Clovis Water Policy Advisory committee member Vincent DeMaio said water reclamation is pivotal both present and future.

“We have a (reclamation) system in place,” he said. “We’ve got the filters. The playa lakes are significant assets — so we have an opportunity to reclaim water efficiently in a way that will serve us today and tomorrow. We have to find ways to continually be good stewards of the land.”

Yet another point of view referenced a call for action.

“Water discussions have been going on around here since I was a child,” said Curry County resident Kailee Jackson. “So at what point does the talk end and movement toward an end result begin? We know there’s going to be a hefty price to pay but also know we can’t live without water. The meter is running, so to speak, so it would be to our advantage to locate the sustainable water and find ways to gain access. Looking into a solution and moving towards one are two different things.”

Meanwhile, in the wake of circumstances in which water options have literally run dry, some citizens have recognized the need to begin forming independent water associations and co-ops, which could provide eligibility for grants and low-interest loans they wouldn’t qualify for as private citizens.

“There are families in the outlying areas presently struggling with water issues,” Louisa Gomez said. “It’s easy to get caught up in the mindset that our water supply is sustainable for the next couple of decades, but we can’t be comfortable with that.”