Opinion: Water portfolio is the answer

I am responding on behalf of the Ogallala Land & Water Conservancy (“Conservancy”) to the recent letters to the editor regarding the Ute Pipeline Project.

It is imperative to pursue every viable source of water for the future of this community. The city of Clovis Master Water Assurance Plan (2017) created a Water Portfolio through an “all of the above” approach to water security.

Four out of five action plans focus on key water sources: effluent reuse water, groundwater, surface water, and recharge water. The fifth plan was to create a land and water trust. The Conservancy was created to oversee the banking of groundwater through the leasing of groundwater and later placing remaining water in conservation easements through federal and state funding sources.

Effluent reuse water: Several studies show that the Ogallala Aquifer, a limited water source, is rapidly declining. The city’s Effluent Reuse Project began in 2007 to help conserve groundwater in the aquifer by greatly reducing the use of drinking water for grass and landscaping.

Groundwater: The Conservancy, not the Eastern New Mexico Water Utility Authority or the city, is banking the water in two paleochannels located close to Cannon Air Force Base.

The Conservancy manages the Readiness Environmental Protection Initiative Program, which provides landowners an avenue to voluntarily cease irrigated farming and transition to dryland crops or pastureland to save groundwater for the community. Banking the water extends the life of the aquifer by providing at least 40 years of water for domestic or commercial use.

The paleochannels are not “full of groundwater.” In April 2022, the Conservancy metered 53 irrigation wells in the first paleochannel northwest of CAFB and discovered that since 2017 we had lost a significant portion of the remaining groundwater. Landowners immediately ceased irrigation pumping of those wells. In one year, we saved approximately 4 billion gallons of groundwater. We will save 12 billion gallons over the three-year lease term.

More water savings will occur as additional landowners cease irrigation farming in this area. The goal is perpetual conservation easements to ensure future sustainability.

Surface water: The Ute pipeline is an important piece of the “all of the above” approach to providing water for this community. It will be transporting surface water from the Ute Reservoir to CAFB, Clovis, Portales, Elida, and Texico.

The rainfalls in May showed just how quickly the Ute Reservoir can recover. The underground aquifer cannot recover near as quickly. The conserved groundwater supply will provide an essential supplemental water supply to CAFB, Clovis, and Curry County in times of drought or when the Ute Reservoir cannot meet total local demand.

Recharge water: The city of Clovis and the Conservancy are both working to restore playas, knowing that some rainfall recharge to the aquifer can occur when playas work as nature planned.

Our Water Portfolio, “all of the above” approach, is how we provide a sustainable water source to this community. We need to work together to capture every drop of water we can.

Ladona Clayton is executive director of the Ogallala Land and Water Conservancy. Contact her at:

[email protected]