Groups to lease farmers' water

City and water authorities joined forces with WildEarth Guardians to obtain water for the Rio Grande and it's silvery minnow

More Rio Grande water would end up in the Rio Grande under a pilot project that would pay farmers to not use water.

City and water authorities joined forces with conservation groups such as the WildEarth Guardians to talk up the program Tuesday, one of the results of a long legal dispute surrounding the endangered silvery minnow.

Essentially, it will work like this: The Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority will contribute $225,000 to the newly formed Living River Fund. Some as-yet-unnamed entity would manage the fund and contributions from other government agencies.

The money will be used to lease water rights from farmers who would otherwise divert river water to irrigate their fields. The water would remain in the river, allowing it to host a thriving ecosystem for plants and wildlife, said WildEarth Guardians Executive Director John Horning.

"The overall goal is a flowing, living river," Horning said.

Since water rights vary in price, it's impossible to say how long the initial funding would last or how much water the Rio Grande would retain, he said.

Still, this is only part one of a larger strategy. Once this money is gone, it's gone. Horning would like to see a permanent funding source along with some institutionalized management system to buy - not just lease - river water. This program is the beginning.

"It is money to demonstrate that water leasing can work," he said.

Copyright 2007 Albuquerque Tribune - Reprinted with permission


 

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