The Rio Chama begins at the edge of the Rocky Mountains and courses through rugged basalt hillsides and the red and yellow cliffs made famous by painter Georgia O’Keeffe.
A historic drought in the western U.S. is linked to extreme heat and wildfires, while devastating floods sweep through parts of China and Europe. Experts say it’s all exacerbated by climate change.ABIQUIU, N.M. -- At the edge of a sandstone outcropping, Teresa Leger Fernández looks out on the Rio Chama.
Some earthen canals didn't get a drop of water this year, another example of parched Western conditions. Like many parts of the world, the region has become warmer and drier over the last 30 years, mainly due to rising levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases resulting from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas development and transportation.
Paula Garcia, New Mexico Acequia Association executive director, shuns the phrase “new normal” because she said that implies stability in weather patterns the community's ditches rely on. What developed were little slices of paradise, with gardens and orchards that have sustained communities for generations.Darel Madrid, Rio Chama Acequia Association president, didn't grow a garden this year. He wanted to lead by example.
When water-sharing compacts involving some of New Mexico's largest cities were first negotiated decades ago, Madrid said communities along Rio Chama were left out. Now, as supplies are scarce, acequias around Abiquiu have been forced to seek state funding to buy water from downstream users. If none is available, they go without.
Since 2017, more than $5.3 million has been funneled to dozens of community irrigation projects through New Mexico's Interstate Stream Commission. Another $15 million in state capital funds have been earmarked for acequia projects since 2018.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
15 Things to Do With Your Fam This Thanksgiving (Besides Eating)15 things to do with your fam this Thanksgiving (besides eating).
Read more »
Black Muslims: Finding community and faith in South L.A.Two Los Angeles mosques — one old, one new — embody the challenges facing Black Muslim congregations.
Read more »
California Recall Rules Enabling a Costly Election Spur Calls for ChangesCalifornia’s Democratic leaders want this week’s gubernatorial recall election, which Gov. Gavin Newsom defeated, to be the last of its kind
Read more »
How 26 Million Pounds of American Fish Got Stuck in CanadaFrozen pollock flounders while the U.S. government and fish suppliers fight over a century-old maritime law; “The clock is ticking.”
Read more »
‘Cry Macho’ Review: Clint Eastwood Gets Back in the SaddleThe Hollywood icon, now 91 years old, directs and stars in the story of a down-on-his-luck rodeo rider bringing a wayward boy back from Mexico to Texas.
Read more »
Climate Change Is Putting More Poop in New York’s WatersThe problem of raw sewage in New York's waterways is not a new one. But this summer's record rainfall has made it a distressingly common presence along the city's 522 miles of coastline. L_Vespoli reports
Read more »