We drove back down from Fort Collins on Sunday. I was simply amazed at the condition of the grasslands in Northern New Mexico from Las Vegas to Raton. Although there had been a little snow, the land is beginning to resemble a desert. Especially where grazing is not being curtailed. If there are not spring rains up there then ranching as a business will cease to exist.
Here in our neighborhood of Albuquerque I continue to be impressed with the amount of xeriscaping being done at everyone's homes. More than anyone it seems that city dwellers understand that there is only so much water to be had and that everyone has to pitch in to help.
In the meantime, some of the irrigators in the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District continue to say they shouldn't make any sacrifices. Do they they deserve some sort of special consideration even in this era of extreme drought? I am not sure. Everyone has to do their part. I know the MRGCD has made some strides in efficiency, but flood irrigation in the current era may no longer be wise. The picture above is an irrigation gate that leads into our property in Pena Blanca.
However, I will say that in one area Albuquerque needs to wake up. Our neighborhood park is getting as bald as I am. There has not been an ounce of water applied to it in months and it looks worse than it ever has. Normally, there is enough winter rain or snow to get the parks through, but not this year. The response to this has been non existent by the city and it will show soon. Parks should be green for visitors. The neighborhood is giving up sodded lawns to save water but green spaces are still very much needed.
Here in our neighborhood of Albuquerque I continue to be impressed with the amount of xeriscaping being done at everyone's homes. More than anyone it seems that city dwellers understand that there is only so much water to be had and that everyone has to pitch in to help.
1 comment:
If they could only figure out how to desalinate some of that rising sea water and get it up here.
There's a little desalination device used by people who go around the world in sailboats. It works by evaporation I think. It's basically a sheet of black plastic that collects dew, or something like that.
They could built massive desalinators offshore that were filled up by the tide, and use the force of the tides to pump the water inland.
You could start by filling up Lake Bonneville. That used to be huge inland sea covering parts of about three states that drained into the Snake River up in Idaho, but it got cut off from any drainage and started to evaporate. The Great Salt Lake is all that's left of it.
But there are basins throughout the West and we have a few basins here in New Mexico, too. We could have have a lot of greenery and agriculture, too. They could just run a big pipeline to the head of the Rio Grande.
Post a Comment