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An exchange of letters between the state and the federal government earlier this month suggests the wheels may be coming off the endangered species act process on the middle Rio Grande.
In a May 2 letter, the US Bureau of Reclamation’s Mike Hamman pointed a finger at the state, saying it was not doing enough to quantify the effects its management decisions were having on flows in the river. That matters a great deal as the bureau and the US Fish and Wildlife Service try to come up with a new river management plan aimed at ensuring the survival of the endangered Rio Grande silvery minnow. But this is about more than a minnow. Even if you don’t care about the fish, minnow problems are the first place water shortages show up, and a minnow problem now means trouble for farmers and cities that depend on the river is not far behind.
Estevan López of the state’s Interstate Stream Commission shot back in a May 14 letter, saying the effect of state water management (we’re talking here about things like oversight of groundwater pumping) are “minimal”.
I’m posting the letters here in case anyone’s interested, and I’ll have more on the back-and-forth next week in the newspaper.
May 2, 2012 letter from USBR to New Mexico ISC
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