NM WRRI Prepares to Host 62nd Annual Water Conference
by Catherine Ortega Klett, NM WRRI Program Manager
For the first time in its 62-year history, NM WRRI will host its annual water conferences at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (NM Tech). Socorro’s center-of-the-state locale and proximity to the Rio Grande offers an ideal backdrop for contemplating the water supply and management challenges facing our entire state. What is the future of water in New Mexico? How will economic development fare in the face of hitting a water supply wall? Is new water a reality or fantasy? Are there hidden costs associated with new water opportunities? Hidden Realities of New Water Opportunities will be explored by an estimated 200 or more participants representing faculty and students, water agency staff, water planners, and stakeholders from throughout New Mexico.
PROGRAM: The day-and-a-half conference will take place on August 15-16, 2017 at the Macey Center on the NM Tech campus. NM Tech President Stephen G. Wells will give the opening address followed by Senator Tom Udall who will provide an update on efforts associated with the 2012 Conference Report, a product of NM WRRI’s 57th Annual New Mexico Water Conference, including action on the federal Drought Bill. Senator Udall will also moderate a panel of representatives from various water sectors in New Mexico including agricultural, tribal, municipal and industrial, and environmental. Program: The day-and-a-half conference will take place on August 15-16, 2017 at the Macey Center on the NM Tech campus. NM Tech President Stephen G. Wells will give the opening address followed by Senator Tom Udall who will provide an update on efforts associated with the 2012 Conference Report, a product of NM WRRI’s 57th Annual New Mexico Water Conference, including action on the federal Drought Bill. Senator Udall will also moderate a panel of representatives from various water sectors in New Mexico including agricultural, tribal, municipal and industrial, and environmental.
The conference program will present a broad range of diverse water issues such as the management aspects of farmland retirement, interbasin transfers, conservation, watershed management, aquifer storage and recovery project implementation, and desalination and brackish water opportunities. A highlight of the conference will be a panel of former Rio Grande Compact commissioners and administrators who will look back at past successes and future challenges associated with a multi-state agreement to manage flows.
POSTER SESSION: Included in the conference is a poster session that provides a perfect opportunity to exchange information, showcase water projects, and update colleagues on water research being conducted around the state. The 90-minute session allows students, faculty, agency staff, and private entities to network with colleagues from throughout the state and region, providing opportunities for collaboration.
FIELD TRIPS: Participants can choose between one of two optional field trips on the day before the conference starts. Participants can travel to the Plains of San Agustin, home of the Very Large Array radio telescope observatory, the town of Datil, a number of multi-generation family owned ranches, and a controversial proposed groundwater transfer. Another optional field trip will take participants to look at river rehabilitation projects in the San Acacia reach of the Rio Grande that are related to surface-water/groundwater interaction. It will include viewing a low-flow channel, Cañas Arroyo, and the realignment of the Rio Grande through the Bosque del Apache.
REGISTER: Again this year, the NM WRRI is offering a very affordable conference registration fee, $95 Early Bird rate. Register at:
https://nmwaterconference.nmwrri.nmsu.edu/2017/register/.
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