Governor urges firework ban and imposes water restrictions amid extreme drought

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed an executive order last week declaring worrisome drought conditions and severe fire risk across the state.

The governor also urged localities to ban fireworks and restrict water usage.

This order comes as more than half the state is in extreme or exceptional drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

As a whole, 84% of the state is experiencing moderate drought due to what National Weather Service meteorologist Todd Shoemake called “a very abysmal winter” marked by record-low levels of precipitation.

Bernalillo County and Albuquerque are considered to be in extreme drought. In fact, December, January and February saw the lowest amount of precipitation ever recorded in the city, Shoemake said.

Drought conditions have drastically worsened over the course of the year, according to the monitor. Last year, 12.5% of the state was in extreme drought; now, nearly 48% of the state is in extreme drought.

Despite Lujan Grisham’s order, local governments get to make the final call about firework bans and other measures.

The order directed the New Mexico Drought Task Force to meet to discuss educating the community, reviewing current efforts to mitigate drought and fire risk, as well as considering sources of funding for affected communities. Funding for the task force comes from the $400 million the Legislature appropriated during the session for water and natural resource issues, according to the order.

The task force had its first meeting Wednesday, according to a news release from the Governor’s Office.

In the hot, dry climate of New Mexico, water availability has long been a concern.

This growing season, water levels in the state’s rivers are expected to be exceptionally low, Shoemake said, endangering the crops of farmers who rely on acequias and river flow for their livelihood.

The order recognized several wildfires that have devastated communities throughout New Mexico in recent memory, including the South Fork Fire that ravaged Ruidoso last year.

Drought can cause flora to dry out, turning New Mexico’s forests into a tinderbox. Dry conditions coupled with high winds put most of the state in severe fire risk, Shoemake said.