CLIMATE CHANGE IS THREATENING NEW MEXICO'S WATER SUPPLY.

EVEN IN BIG SNOW YEARS LIKE THIS ONE, A WARM SPRING CAN QUICKLY MELT SNOWPACK AND CREATE ALL KINDS OF ISSUES FOR IRRIGATORS AND WATER USERS.

IN THIS MONTH'S EPISODE OF 'OUR LAND,' ENVIRONMENTAL CORRESPONDENT LAURA PASKUS VISITS WITH ONE IRRIGATION DISTRICT TO LEARN HOW WATER USERS ARE TRYING TO ADAPT AND TO MAKE SURE THAT LESS WATER CAN STILL BE ENOUGH WATER.

IF YOU REMEMBER LAST YEAR'S DRY CONDITIONS, SEEING SNOW ON THE MOUNTAINS AND WATER IN NEW MEXICO'S RIVERS THIS SPRING IS A RELIEF.

BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN OUR WATER CHALLENGES ARE OVER.

IN RESERVOIRS THROUGHOUT THE RIO GRANDE WATERSHED, WATER LEVELS ARE HISTORICALLY LOW.

FOR RESERVOIRS, RIVERS, FORESTS, CITIES AND FARMERS, THE CHANGING CLIMATE IS FORCING US TO THINK ABOUT THE FUTURE NOW.

THAT'S BECAUSE IN THE ARID WEST, WARMER CONDITIONS MEAN DRIER CONDITIONS.

THERE ARE PREDICTIONS THAT THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE, AND WHAT THAT DOES IS, IT ADDS ADDITIONAL DEPLETIONS TO VEGETATION BOTH ALONG THE RIVER, THE NATURAL RIPARIAN DEPLETIONS WILL INCREASE, AS WELL AS THE CROP.

IT'LL TAKE MORE WATER TO ESSENTIALLY GROW THE SAME AMOUNT OF CROP IN WARMER WEATHER.

MIKE HAMMAN IS THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER FOR THE MIDDLE RIO GRANDE CONSERVANCY DISTRICT.

THE DISTRICT WAS FORMED IN THE 1920S AND TODAY DELIVERS IRRIGATION WATER TO ABOUT TEN THOUSAND PROPERTY OWNERS FROM JUST BELOW COCHITI DAM 150 MILES DOWNSTREAM TO SOCORRO.

THAT INCLUDES FARMERS AND PEOPLE WHO USE THE WATER TO FLOOD IRRIGATE THEIR GARDENS OR LAWNS.

OVER THE PAST TWO DECADES, THE DISTRICT HAS GRAPPLED WITH DROUGHT AND TIGHT WATER SUPPLIES, AND FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS TO KEEP RARE SPECIES FROM DYING OUT LIKE THE RIO GRANDE SILVERY MINNOW AND THE SOUTHWESTERN WILLOW FLYCATCHER.

IN THE 1990s, THE CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE ALSO REALIZED THAT THE AQUIFER BELOW WASN'T LIMITLESS AND IT STARTED LOOKING ELSEWHERE FOR ITS WATER.

UNDERLYING ALL OF THIS IS THE RIO GRANDE COMPACT WHICH GOVERNS HOW MUCH WATER COLORADO, TEXAS AND NEW MEXICO CAN USE.

THOSE THINGS HAVE REALLY REQUIRED A LOT OF MANAGEMENT INTENSITY, I GUESS YOU WOULD CALL IT, COMPARED TO WHAT IT WAS BACK IN THE SIXTIES AND SEVENTIES AND EIGHTIES WHEN WATER SUPPLY WAS ACTUALLY A LOT MORE ABUNDANT YEAR-IN AND YEAR-OUT.

THE CONSERVANCY DISTRICT STORES MOST OF ITS WATER IN THE EL VADO RESERVOIR ON THE CHAMA RIVER IN NORTHERN NEW MEXICO, A TRIBUTARY OF THE RIO GRANDE.

DAVID GENSLER IS THE WATER OPERATIONS MANAGER FOR THE DISTRICT.

THE LAST TIME THAT RESERVOIR WAS FILLED WAS 2010.

WE'VE BEEN PUTTING A LITTLE WATER IN, TAKING A LITTLE BIT OUT, BUT WE'VE BEEN GOING THROUGH THESE VERY DRY YEARS.

2017 WAS A PRETTY GOOD YEAR.

WE WERE ABLE TO PARK SOME WATER UP AT EL VADO.

IT WAS ENOUGH, BARELY, TO GET US THROUGH 2018.

WE WERE LITERALLY DOWN TO THE LAST BUCKETS COMING OUT OF THE RESERVOIR LAST YEAR.

THERE WAS NOTHING LEFT.

WE USED EVERY LAST DROP TO GET THROUGH THE SEASON.

BECAUSE OF THE RIO GRANDE COMPACT AND RESTRICTIONS, IT KIND OF CONTROLS WHEN WE CAN AND CAN'T STORE.

THIS SPRING, EL VADO IS ONLY 15% FULL, AND DESPITE OPTIMISTIC PREDICTIONS FOR RUNOFF, WATER CAN'T BE STORED THERE RIGHT NOW, NOT UNTIL LEVELS IN THE ELEPHANT BUTTE AND CABALLO RESERVOIRS ARE HIGHER.

THEY SUPPLY SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO AND TEXAS.

THAT'S BECAUSE THE RIO GRANDE COMPACT DOESN'T ALLOW WATER TO BE STORED IN UPSTREAM RESERVOIRS IF THOSE SOUTHERN LEVELS ARE TOO LOW.

RIGHT NOW, THE RIO GRANDE IS RUNNING MUCH HIGHER THAN IT WAS LAST YEAR, AND EVERYONE IS HOPING FOR GOOD SPRING RUNOFF.

WE LOOK AT THE SNOWPACK, WHICH WE NEVER KNOW WHAT WE'RE GOING TO GET, AND EVEN ONCE WE'VE GOT IT, WE DON'T KNOW HOW IT'S GOING TO RUN OFF.

IT CAN ALL COME AT ONCE, IT CAN DRIBBLE OUT VERY SLOWLY.

WE JUST TRY AND MAKE THE BEST DECISIONS TO SET THE GAME BOARD FOR THIS YEAR AND THE FOLLOWING YEAR WITH AS MANY OPTIONS AS POSSIBLE.

IT ALSO MEANS HELPING PEOPLE USE THE WATER THEY DO HAVE MORE WISELY, LIKE PLANTING DIFFERENT CROPS, OR LIKE HERE IN ALBUQUERQUE'S NORTH VALLEY, INSTALLING NEW SYSTEMS TO HELP DELIVER WATER FASTER OR MORE EFFICIENTLY.

WE BUILT THIS SILLY LITTLE CONCRETE PAD HERE, AND I KNOW IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE MUCH, BUT A WHOLE LOT MORE WATER CAN RUN OUT OF THIS PIPE ONTO THE FIELD OVER THIS PAD THAN COULD EVER HAVE COME OUT OF THESE THREE LITTLE HOLES IN THE CONCRETE FARM DITCH.

IT'S SIMPLE, IT'S INEXPENSIVE, AND IT DECREASES IRRIGATION WATER USE.

WE CAN DELIVER CLOSER TO THE OPTIMAL AMOUNT OF WATER ONTO THIS FIELD RIGHT NOW WITHOUT WASTING ANY.

CERTAINLY WITH ALL THE CHALLENGES WE HAVE FACING US, IT'S INCUMBENT UPON ALL OF US TO USE WATER BETTER.

WE'RE DOING THAT AT THE DISTRICT LEVEL IN TERMS OF HOW WE OPERATE OUR SYSTEM.

WE DIVERT HALF THE WATER TODAY THAT WE DID 20 YEARS AGO, AND WE STILL DELIVER ABOUT THE SAME AMOUNT.

SO WE'VE MADE OUR DELIVERY SYSTEM THAT MUCH MORE EFFICIENT.

SO THIS IS A LONG CRESTED WEIR, AND WE'RE BUILDING THESE ALL OVER THE DISTRICT AS PART OF OUR EFFORTS TO CONSERVE WATER.

SO A HUGE AMOUNT OF WATER WILL GO OVER THE TOP OF THIS THING WITH VERY, VERY LITTLE CHANGE IN THE UPSTREAM WATER LEVELS.

IT TAKES A LOAD OFF OF OUR OPERATORS, OUR IRRIGATION SYSTEM OPERATORS.

HE DOESN'T HAVE TO COME OUT HERE AND REGULATE A GATE ANY LONGER, SO HE CAN DEVOTE HIS TIME TOWARD SCHEDULING IRRIGATION DELIVERIES ELSEWHERE ON THE CANAL.

WE'VE TAKEN THIS LITTLE TASK AND AUTOMATED IT FOR HIM, SO HE DOESN'T HAVE SO WORRY ABOUT IT.

AFTER THE FIRST SEASON, THEY COME BACK AND SAY, THAT THING'S GREAT, MAN, I WANT MORE OF THEM.

IT'S REALLY NICE.

DESPITE THE MISPERCEPTION, WHEN FARMERS USE LESS WATER ON THEIR FIELDS, THEY DON'T RUN THE RISK OF LOSING THAT WATER IN FUTURE YEARS.

WE HAVE, BY POLICY, SINCE WE WERE FORMED PRACTICED SHORTAGE SHARING, WHICH IS REALLY THE OLD ACEQUIA SYSTEM.

IT GOES BACK TO THAT SPANISH CULTURE OF 400 PLUS YEARS AGO WHERE EVERYBODY SHARES EQUALLY IN THE AVAILABLE WATER.

UNTIL SUCH TIME AS THE VALLEY IS ADJUDICATED, I THINK THAT WE WILL ALWAYS DO THIS SHORTAGE SHARING PROCESS, AND I'LL BE HONEST, I BELIEVE IT'S A BETTER SYSTEM OVERALL.

EVEN IN A GOOD WATER YEAR, FARMING ISN'T AN EASY JOB, AND NEITHER IS MAKING SURE EVERYONE GETS THE WATER THEY NEED.

WHAT KEEPS ME UP AT NIGHT?

YEAH, I THINK A COMPLETE LOSS OF THE WATER SUPPLY AND HAVING A VERY LIMITED AMOUNT TO SHEPHERD AROUND.

IT PUTS A LOT OF STRESS ON EVERYBODY IN THE ORGANIZATION.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TEMPERATURES IN NEW MEXICO HAVE ALREADY INCREASED BY TWO DEGREES FAHRENHEIT SINCE THE 1970s.

A GOVERNMENT STUDY SHOWS THAT ADDITIONAL INCREASES OF FOUR TO SIX DEGREES WILL CAUSE FLOWS OF THE RIO GRANDE TO DROP BY ABOUT A THIRD.

CLIMATE CHANGE MEANS THINKING HARD ABOUT WHAT WE DO WITH OUR WATER, AND IN THE CONSERVANCY DISTRICT, SHARING THE RIVER MEANS SHARING PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS.

FOR NEW MEXICO InFOCUS AND 'OUR LAND,' I'M LAURA PASKUS.

CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS AND SOLUTIONS ARE OBVIOUSLY MUCH DIFFERENT FOR US HERE IN NEW MEXICO THAN IN OTHER STATES AND CITIES.

IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE WORLDWIDE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND HOW BROADER COMMUNITIES ARE REACTING TO IT, BE SURE TO TUNE INTO THE NATIONAL PBS SERIES, 'SINKING CITIES.'.

IT'S PART OF THE GLOBAL 'PERIL OR PROMISE INITIATIVE.'

NOW, THE FOUR-PART SERIES BEGINS LATER THIS MONTH ON NEW MEXICO PBS, SO TUNE IN SUNDAY, APRIL 28th AND SUNDAY MAY 5th FROM 2:00 TO 4:00 PM.

FUNDING FOR NEW MEXICO InFOCUS PROVIDED BY THE MCCUNE CHARITABLE FOUNDATION.

AND THE NEEPER NATURAL HISTORY PROGRAMMING FUND FOR KNME-TV.

AND VIEWERS LIKE YOU.

MAJOR FUNDING FOR 'SINKING CITIES' WAS PROVIDED BY DR. P. ROY VAGELOS AND DIANA T. VAGELOS, WITH ADDITIONAL FUNDING FROM SUE AND EDGAR WACHENHEIM, III, AND THE MARC HAAS FOUNDATION, AS PART OF 'PERIL OR PROMISE,' A PUBLIC MEDIA INITIATIVE FROM WNET IN NEW YORK REPORTING ON THE STORIES OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND THEIR SOLUTIONS.

'SINKING CITIES' WAS ALSO SUPPORTED BY THE ARTHUR VINING DAVIS FOUNDATION.

ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR 'PERIL OR PROMISE' IS PROVIDED BY LISE STRICKLER AND MARK GALLOGLY.