Water allocation to farmers takes a big hit as drought worsens in the Borderland

EL PASO, Texas -- Two entities across different states will distribute water from the Rio Grande to farmers in the region.
New Mexico will distribute far less than Texas and it all has to do because of severe drought conditions plaguing the area.

Gary Esslinger, the general manager for the Elephant Butte Irrigation District which oversees all water allotment for Doña Ana County, told ABC-7 that it's going to be a tough year for New Mexico farmers.

Esslinger explained, "This year our farmers will get a 4-inch allotment. Under a normal release they would get close to 3 acre feet."

Meanwhile down south in El Paso, El Paso County Water Improvement District General Manager Jesus Reyes says their farmers will still get hit, but not as bad as New Mexicans.

"During a full allocation, times where there's plenty of water at Elephant Butte Dam, our full allocation is 4 acre feet per acre. This year we are looking at an allocation of 18 inches per acre."

The key to having more water this year comes from conserving water last year. "We conserved almost 95,000 acre feet of water from last year. So that placed us in a better position that elephant butte irrigation district," said Reyes.

Water from the Rio Grande is strictly for irrigation. Mexico, EBID and EPCWID have agreed to release the dam gates on May 28th. Residents will begin to see water from the Rio Grande flow south by June 2.

Farmers in the Doña Ana County have a deadline of May 17 to place their water orders. EBID hopes to have water for about 45 days from the gates opening.

Due to El Paso's conservation efforts. Reyes said they hope to have water running south until the first or second week of August.

All of this is contingent on the expected monsoon season. If the Borderland sees more rain, they may leave the gates open for longer, but it will also help nourish the dry desert land.

Both entities said this could be one of the shortest water distributions on record.