WildEarth Guardians

Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Group Calls the Santa Fe River the Most Endangered River in U.S.

The major threat to the future of the Santa Fe River is the outdated assumption that a flowing river is a waste of water
Contact: John Arnold Albuquerque Journal

Efforts to get the Santa Fe River flowing year round are getting a push from a national river conservation group, which has listed the usually dry channel the country's "most endangered" river.

In its annual report on the nation's 10 most at-risk rivers, the Washington, D.C.-based organization American Rivers says the Santa Fe "faces the gravest river-killing threat of all: no water."

"The major threat to the future of the Santa Fe River is the outdated assumption that a flowing river is a waste of water," states the report, due to be released publicly today.

The Santa Fe River, which runs from the mountains northeast of town through the heart of the city and southwest to the Rio Grande, is captured in two mountain reservoirs that supply a significant portion of the city's water supply.

While spring runoff from mountain snowpack currently has the river flowing, it's bone dry and weed-choked much of the year. Those who want it restored say a year-round flow would enhance the city's quality of life, restore an important ecosystem and recharge groundwater supplies.

The Santa Fe Watershed Association- which wants to see the city release reservoir water for year-round flows- nominated the waterway for American Rivers' Most Endangered list "as a way of getting perspective on how we're treating our river," said David Groenfeldt, the association's executive director.

'It seems absurd'

"To dam up the river and use all the water for our own human needs and give nothing to the river at all, seems natural in Santa Fe, because that's our custom," Groenfeldt said. "It seems absurd when you look at it through a larger lens."

In an introduction to the American Rivers report, the group's president notes that the rivers it names aren't necessarily the most polluted or degraded.

Rather, the 10 rivers listed in the document are "at a major crossroads" and face management decisions that will "dramatically and drastically affect the health of the river and the ability of people to enjoy it," American Rivers president Rebecca Wodder writes.

In Santa Fe's case the community has "an unprecedented opportunity" to restore its namesake river, the report says, noting Mayor David Coss' support for a river revival.

Coss, who has made restoring the Santa Fe River one of his administration's biggest priorities, said Monday that the American Rivers designation recognizes the city's focus on bringing the river back.

"It's not wonderful to (have it named) the most endangered river, but I think it's a designation that also says there's hope that the community wants to bring it back," Coss said.

The city's water engineers have been discussing options that could change how and when water is released from the reservoirs. But options are limited until a project to divert water from the Rio Grande is completed, now forecast for some time in 2010, according to Coss.

"We may get there sooner, but I think 2010's a good date for when we have another source of water and gives us a lot more manageability on our reservoir water," Coss said, noting that he wants to avoid groundwater mining to get the river flowing.

The report says the city has taken positive steps to formulate a long-range plan for flow restoration, including a plan to initiate a private-public match fund to purchase water rights for the river.

Coss has also reconstituted the city's River Commission. The group had disbanded in 2003 because, according to one former member, commissioners were frustrated with a lack of progress on river restoration.

"Indeed, Santa Fe has seen past goals for flow restoration derailed by the relentless water demands of new development," the American Rivers report says. "Long-term planning won't bring back the Santa Fe River unless those plans include near-term commitments to instream flow."

Short-term help

The report recommends that in the short-term, the city allocate some minimal reservoir releases as "immediate relief" for the river's ecosystem. The city should set and implement a permanent water allocation for the river based on science and community input, the report says.

City Councilor Patti Bushee- a longtime supporter of river restoration- said that in the past the city "has paid a lot of lip service" to restoring the river, but needs to step up the discussion on how to do it.

"It's going to have a community cost that we have to weigh, and I think its worth starting the discussion now," she said.

The Santa Fe River isn't the first in New Mexico to be listed endangered by American Rivers, which has been issuing its annual report for 22 years.

In 2005, for example, the group listed the Valle Vidal's McCrystal Creek as the second-most endangered river, due to threats from proposed energy development. The federal government has since banned energy development in the area.

The Rio Grande has been named in past reports.

America's most endangered rivers

1. Santa Fe River 2. San Mateo Creek (Calif.) 3. Iowa River (Iowa) 4. Upper Delaware River (N.Y.) 5. White Salmon River (Wash.) 6. Neches River (Texas) 7. Kinnickinnic River (Wisc.) 8. Neuse River (N.C.) 9. Lee Creek (Ark., Okla.) 10. Chuitna River (Alaska) Source: American Rivers- www.americanrivers.org

Copyright 2007 Albuquerque Journal - Reprinted with permission