New online Hub Explains How New Mexico Shares its Rivers With Neighboring States

The Compact Education Hub explains interstate river compacts: the legally binding agreements that set how states divide the water in rivers they share. New Mexico is part of eight of these compacts.

Source: Office of the State Engineer
Images: Courtesy

SANTA FE — Rivers don’t stop at state lines, and neither do the rules for sharing them. A new online resource from the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission (ISC) and the Office of the State Engineer explains how that works and why it matters to New Mexicans.

The Compact Education Hub explains interstate river compacts: the legally binding agreements that set how states divide the water in rivers they share. New Mexico is part of eight of these compacts. The first section of the hub covers the Rio Grande Compact among Colorado, New Mexico and Texas. Sections on New Mexico’s other river compacts will be added later.

“As climate change impacts make water supplies more limited and unpredictable, understanding how water is shared between states, and why everyone has an interest in ensuring New Mexico meets it’s interstate compact obligations, is increasingly important,” said Hannah Riseley-White, director of the ISC. 

The Compact Education Hub offers:

• Explanations of the Rio Grande Compact and interstate water management

• Maps and visuals showing how water moves through the Rio Grande Basin

• Information about New Mexico’s delivery obligations and water accounting for the Compact

• Stories connecting river management to communities, agriculture, and ecosystems

• Water conservation and planning resources

“Understanding the rivers we share helps New Mexicans see that water does not stop at a state line,” said Anne Ruthstrom of the ISC. “The Compact connects upstream and downstream communities while providing a legal framework for sharing our limited and changing resource.”

The Hub provides information about compliance with the compacts and New Mexico’s water challenges. The ISC encourages residents to utilize the resource and participate in local and statewide water-planning conversations. 

Learn more about the Rio Grande Compact at the Compact Education Hub: nmwatercompacts.org