OPINION: Public input essential to meeting regional water management challenges

In New Mexico, water is the foundation of our communities and ecosystems.

Managing it effectively is more than a policy challenge — it’s a cultural, social, and climatic imperative. Evidence indicates that rain and streamflow will be reduced by 25% over the coming 50 years. This means New Mexicans need to plan and prepare to ensure our water supply can continue to meet our needs.

To achieve this balance, the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission launched the Main Stream New Mexico campaign in December 2023. The campaign aims to educate New Mexicans about regional water planning and our process for developing a ruleset and guidelines for implementing New Mexico’s Water Security Planning Act of 2023.

The idea behind regional water planning is to bring communities together to discuss their water values and infrastructure project/program needs. This will help establish priorities for legislative funding. To this end, the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission gathered public input on the ruleset and guidelines during a series of in-person and online open houses between April and August. Together, we brought the voices of New Mexicans into the heart of our process.

To engage as many New Mexicans as possible, our outreach spanned multiple platforms. Our Meta and Google ads resulted in 9.9 million impressions. We aired 79 radio ads statewide and placed 47 print ads in 32 newspapers. Our website, MainStreamNM.org, attracted more than 75,000 visitors and logged over 109,000 page views. We hosted open houses in 16 cities, one in each of New Mexico’s existing water planning regions. We met with 710 people in person and more than 1,600 people online, ensuring that voices from across the state, including remote areas, were heard.

By offering both in-person and online participation, we ensured accessibility that allowed New Mexicans to share their challenges, experiences, and ideas about water use. More than half — 54% — of those who participated reported that it was their first involvement in water planning.

New Mexico’s landscape, like its people, is diverse and unique. Each region faces its own set of challenges regarding water use and conservation. The input NMISC gathered from the public clearly showed that New Mexicans care deeply about protecting the beauty and sustainability of our desert climate for future generations and developing solutions that are unique and specific to local communities. Public engagement is vital. When we work alongside our neighbors, we’re better able to craft solutions that reflect local needs and concerns.

What’s next?

The insights we gathered over the past eight months will guide the next phases of New Mexico’s regional water planning. Public input will help shape the future of water management, from how regions are delineated to strategies for conservation. The New Mexico Water Security Planning Act: Engagement Summary Report is available online now at MainStreamNM.org/data-and-reports/.

This is just the beginning. As our water becomes more scarce, all ideas should be considered, which is why there will be new public input opportunities as the ruleset and guidelines begin to take shape in January. Continued public involvement is essential. As we enter the next phase of developing the ruleset and guidelines, we are excited to offer additional opportunities for New Mexicans to help shape regional water planning in New Mexico. By listening to New Mexicans, we hope to ensure our solutions remain relevant and effective.

Thanks to the voices of more than 2,300 New Mexicans so far, we’re on the right path. Water management is complex, but with the public’s input, we are better equipped to meet the challenges ahead. Together, we can ensure that New Mexico’s water future is one of sustainability, equity, and innovation.

We invite you to join us in planning for that future. Visit MainStreamNM.org to learn more and get involved.

Andrew Erdmann is the water planning program manager at the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission. Main Stream New Mexico is a campaign of NMISC’s water planning program.