It’s now been over one year since the U.S. Supreme Court issued a devastating ruling in Sackett v EPA, the effects of which were immediate – and ongoing. Last May, the Court ruled that the federal Clean Water Act (CWA) does not protect wetlands except under specific and narrow circumstances. While other states had state-level laws to fall back on, New Mexico doesn’t. Immediately up to 94% of New Mexico’s surface waters face severe risk of degradation from unchecked discharges of pollution.

A year later, we have made some progress in addressing the multifaceted issues caused by the loss of these protections. Most notably, during this year’s 2024 legislative session, CVNM and our allies helped secure $7 million for the New Mexico Environment Department to support an enforcement program to protect surface water quality and conduct a statewide wetland and stream connectivity analysis. While not a substitute for a true water state-led water permitting program, it’s a much-needed start.

In addition, New Mexico faces many other water challenges. Legacy pollution, as well as ongoing industrial waste from dirty energy production, pose significant threats to New Mexico’s surface and groundwater supplies. Some 45% to 70% of the state’s surface waters are impaired for one or more of their water quality standards. All of this is exacerbated by the realities of the ongoing climate crisis. The flow in our major rivers is projected to decline by a staggering 28% over the next 50 years, and we will continue facing more extreme weather events ranging from flash floods to wildfires.

All these factors led American Rivers (a water-focused environmental non-profit) to place all of New Mexico’s rivers at the top of its annual Most Endangered Rivers list—yes, all of them. In recognition of the severity of this moment, CVNM has launched our “Year of Water” campaign. This will be a comprehensive, multilateral effort to address the myriad issues facing our precious water supplies—after all, agua es vida. 

During the “Year of Water,” our focus will be on addressing the shortages, water contamination, and outdated systems that plague New Mexico’s water supply. To achieve this, we are building support for comprehensive water management reform, prioritizing racial equity, and filling critical gaps in our state’s water planning approach.  We will collaborate with the wider advocacy community to shape transformative policies, educate decision-makers and the public, and generate the momentum necessary to tackle water issues across the state.

Together, we can achieve a transformative tide of policy wins that results in meaningful action to protect our vulnerable water resources and watersheds for future generations. Bringing together community leaders, stakeholders, decision-makers, and the conservation community is what led to the enormous success of the Land of Enchantment Legacy Fund. With the lessons learned from that experience, we have high hopes for this “Year of Water” campaign and the more sustainable water future that we can create together.