New Environmental Water Transaction Program to Begin on S. Rio Grande

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Staci Stevens, Communications and Policy Manager, 202-294-3101, sstevens@audubon.org

The Board of the Elephant Butte Irrigation District (EBID) adopted a new policy at their June board meeting  to allow voluntary sale and transfer of Rio Grande Project water rights to aid in the restoration of native riparian habitat on the Rio Grande, including lands owned by the United States Section of the  International Boundary and Water Commission (USIBWC).

“The new policy is a formal recognition by the District Board that voluntary sales and transfer of EBID water rights to support native plant survival and growth is a permitted agricultural use,” said Gary Esslinger, Manager of EBID. “EBID, USIBWC and Audubon have worked closely on how to support riparian restoration with water, and this is the next logical step in fashioning a program that protects farmers while helping to restore a healthier, natural river corridor.”

The Rio Grande Environmental Water Transaction Program is a program of the USIBWC, the federal agency charged with applying the boundary and water treaties between the United States and Mexico. In June 2009, the agency committed to restoring native trees, shrubs and grasslands on up to 30 restoration sites totaling approximately 500 acres along the Rio Grande below Percha Dam to the New Mexico-Texas state line.  To sustain the new native vegetation, USIBWC may acquire water rights at market value from willing sellers and transfer them to the restoration sites.

“Restoring native  habitat along the Rio Grande will require some water and this program is a voluntary, market-based program to meet that need in a way that protects farmers and benefits the environment,” commented Edward Drusina, Commissioner of the USIBWC.

The Elephant Butte Irrigation District will treat USIBWC like any other irrigator, with USIBWC water-righted lands receiving an equal allotment per acre like other EBID district water-righted lands, and sharing pro rata in shortages during low water years. USIBWC and its cooperating entities have contracted with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Audubon New Mexico to help develop and administer the environmental water transaction program. Interested sellers are encouraged to contact Audubon New Mexico’s Las Cruces Director of Freshwater Conservation for more information.

“The new EBID policy is a positive development and path forward to restoring cottonwoods, willows and other native trees and vegetation that were common on this reach of the Rio Grande 50 years ago,” explained Beth Bardwell, director of freshwater conservation for Audubon New Mexico. “We live in a desert, and just like people, nature needs a share of water to survive especially in a drought.  This new policy will support riparian habitat, and habitat will enhance people’s experience of the Rio Grande in Southern New Mexico and provide important food and cover for birds and other wildlife who depend on the river as much as we do.”

If you are interested in selling your water rights to benefit habitat restoration, please contact Beth Bardwell at bbardwell@audubon.org .

##

Audubon New Mexico: As the state office of the National Audubon Society, Audubon New Mexico’s mission is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth’s biological diversity.