Producers in New Mexico Encouraged to Apply for Conservation Assistance to Improve Irrigation, Conserve Water

Priority areas in New Mexico include Bloomfield Irrigation District, Fort Sumner Irrigation District, Arch Hurley Conservancy District, Carlsbad Irrigation District, Elephant Butte Irrigation District, Guadalupe Soil and Water Conservation District, and the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District. The Pueblo of Zia priority area is new to the initiative this year.

Source: USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

Agricultural producers in New Mexico interested in conservation practices to manage soil moisture, improve irrigation efficiency, or otherwise conserve ground and surface water resources are encouraged to apply for assistance through U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) conservation programs. New Mexico has 8 priority areas for the WaterSMART Initiative (WSI), a joint effort between Bureau of Reclamation and USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to coordinate investments in the western US to help farmers conserve water and become more resilient to drought impacts.

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“The WaterSMART Initiative provides additional funding for producers looking for help with practices to improve irrigation and conserve water,” said Xavier Montoya, NRCS State Conservationist in New Mexico. “We encourage producers in New Mexico to contact their local office to learn about the WaterSMART Initiative as well as our many other programs.”

For Fiscal Year 2025, NRCS selected 7 new priority areas and is continuing to offer funding in 42 prior approved areas, making $44 million in EQIP funding available through the WSI across 15 states and one tribal area, including New Mexico.

Priority areas in New Mexico include Bloomfield Irrigation District, Fort Sumner Irrigation District, Arch Hurley Conservancy District, Carlsbad Irrigation District, Elephant Butte Irrigation District, Guadalupe Soil and Water Conservation District, and the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District. The Pueblo of Zia priority area is new to the initiative this year. 

The collaboration between NRCS and the Bureau of Reclamation is a priority of the National Drought Resilience Partnership. NRCS makes funding for WSI available to producers in priority areas in the American West through its Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). The funding helps producers apply conservation practices to complement projects funded by the Bureau of Reclamation WaterSMART programs. Reclamation’s WaterSMART investments help states, tribes, and local entities plan for and implement projects that increase water supply by providing funds to modernize existing infrastructure and otherwise build drought resilience.

Common practices to save water in irrigated agriculture include: 

• Irrigation water management to build drought resilience;
• Irrigation pipeline to replace open canals;
• Sprinkler irrigation systems, low pressure types reduce water demand;
• Micro-irrigation to reduce water loss to evaporation;
• Pumps, higher efficiency types reduce water demand.

Common practices to increase groundwater recharge functions in watersheds include:

• Brush management to control invasive species and improve soil moisture; 
• Erosion control structures for groundwater recharge;
• On-farm groundwater recharge;
• Groundwater recharge basins;
• Riparian buffers to increase water recharge.

To learn more about NRCS programs, producers can contact their local USDA Service Center.  Producers can also apply for NRCS programs, manage conservation plans and contracts, and view and print conservation maps by logging into their farmers.gov account. If you don’t have an account, sign up today.

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under the Biden-Harris administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit usda.gov.

Article posted by:

Levi Gwaltney

Levi Gwaltney is the Editor In Chief of Las Cruces Digest. The Editor makes editorial and posting decisions regarding content published on this site. In most cases, the Editor makes little if any contribution to content published, and takes no credit for the content of republished posts. If available, the source or author of posts is provided at the top of the article.

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