Skip to content

Without Rights, NM’s Rivers Can Come Up Empty

12.6.24 In New Mexico, rivers lack rights to their own waters, which means that when dry times strike — or people are unwilling to share — rivers run dry. “Water in New Mexico is managed on what’s called the priority administration system … it’s a system of extraction,” says Paul Tashjian with Audubon Southwest. There are ways to protect rivers, he says — ways that New Mexico can and should explore in coming legislative sessions. 

Correspondent: Laura Paskus 

Guest: Paul Tashjian, Audubon Southwest, Director of Freshwater Conservation   

For More Information: 

Freshwater Ecosystems