Water Water

I just flew back in from Ruidoso after an appearance before the Soil and Water Conservation Districts annual meeting. I had driven down to Ruidoso just before the Primary election and it was so dry it looked like the dark side of the moon. Today it looked like a different landscape. Many of the Playa Lakes were full to the northwest of Carizozo and there was a tinge of green appearing on the terrain after the recent torrential rains. (Note, this doesn't mean the drought is over. It does start confirming global warming theories that we will get our rainfalls all at once in many places.)

The most important subject at the meeting today was water. That is what is on everyone's minds and we spent the better part of our candidate forum talking about water. One of the big concerns of the farmers, ranchers and government workers at the conference was the continued impact of sprawl on the watersheds. If you get a chance to fly into the Ruidoso area you can see why they are concerned. Looking out of our Beechcraft's windows you can see the sprawl starting fifteen miles from Ruidoso. I was astonished. Was water planning a part of this development? I wouldn't bet the farm on it! Or maybe I will have to!

Then, I get home and find the Albuquerque Journal story on the State Water Engineers Office being criticized for hiring more attorneys on contract to handle the work load revolving around water issues. They have spent about $5 million in the last year. That seems like nothing to me given the magnitude of the water litigation and permitting that is taking up their time. That amount of money wouldn't even fund the infrastructure for one small sized subdivision. What is the big deal about this? Think about this. Water is the preeminent issue in our state and some one is complaining about the small appropriations for our water agency. Maybe this is just "Wag the Dog."