50 Year Water Action Plan Dashboard

As one of the driest states in the west, New Mexico is no stranger to drought. Almost three-fourths of the state is currently experiencing severe to exceptional drought conditions. In 50 years, water experts predict the state will have 25 percent less water to use. The 50-Year Water Action Plan focuses on expanding water conservation in cities and on farms, developing new water supplies and enhancing water quality protections.
Read The Full 50 Year Water Action Plan

This dashboard measures progress towards the goals laid out in the 50 Year Water Action Plan.

Produced in partnership with the following agencies:

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Recent Highlights

A1: New Mexico’s Regional Water Planning Mapping Tool

This tool provides an introduction to water data which incorporates various tried-and-true data sets.  It pairs population data from the Census with water data from the New Mexico Water Data Act, and overlays those with Water Use by Categories reports from both 2015 and 2020 (among other data sets). 
View data & Stories
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A2: NMSU Holds 70th New Mexico Annual Water Conference

New Mexico state hosted the 70th New Mexico Annual Water Conference from October 21-23, 2025 at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces, NM and online. This year’s conference theme was “Research With Impact.”
Read Conference Agenda
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A3: New Mexico Supports Local Utilities with an Integrated Innovative Leak Detection Program

New Mexico’s innovative work in leak detection and water conservation featured in the September/October 2025 issue of Rocky Mountain Water (pages 14 & 15).
Read Article
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A4: Nichols Dam Rehabilitation Project

Watch Video
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B1: 2025 Strategic Water Supply Grant Applications Closed

2025 Strategic Water Supply Grant Applications closed on September 8, 2025. Grant applicants included:
  • Alamo Navajo School Board, Inc.
  • Arrowhead Center at New Mexico State University
  • City of Deming
  • City of Jal
  • Doña Ana County
  • Mesa Partners New Mexico Operating LLC
  • New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
  • Pueblo of Jemez/Natural Resources Department
  • Pueblo of Laguna
  • Southwest Salt Company Looking to Partner with Eddy County NM or other agencies
  • The Village of Cuba, New Mexico
  • University of New Mexico
Funding awards will be announced in December 2025.
Learn more about the Strategic Water Supply Fund

B3: Beginning to map New Mexico’s aquifers using airborne geophysics

In FY2025, the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources (NMBGMR) at New Mexico Tech began to address the 50 Year Water Action Plan – action B3. With an initial state appropriation of $7.5M, new mapping and data collection is underway in 5 large regions of the state.

NMBGMR is launching a major new effort to better understand the state’s groundwater resources using geophysics, particularly airborne electromagnetic (AEM) surveys. AEM is a non-invasive geophysical method that uses low-flying aircraft equipped with specialized instruments that send weak electromagnetic signals into the ground. By measuring how the subsurface responds, combined with multiple other datasets, scientists can map variations in geology, aquifer structure, and groundwater quality down to 600 to 1500 ft (~200 to 450 m) below the land surface.

Learn more about AEM
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C1: Watch The Kickoff of the New Mexico Uranium Mine Cleanup Program at Schmitt Decline Mine

Watch the Video
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C2: New Mexico Featured in High Country News Article, “Western states step up to save their wetlands”

Read Article
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C4: The New Mexico Reforestation Center (NMRC) - A Major Investment in Expanding and Accelerating Reforestation Efforts Across the Southwest

By integrating seed banking, nursery operations, and large-scale planning with research, education, and outreach, NMRC aims to strengthen the reforestation pipeline and serve as a model for other regions. Committed to closing critical gaps in forest restoration, NMRC is focused on ensuring the long-term health and resilience of forested landscapes. As of 2024, the center has secured $41 million in state and federal funding to support the design, construction, and initial operations of its facility, which will be located at the JTH Forestry Research Center in Mora, NM.
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    What We Are Doing To Increase Water Security

    50-Year Water Action Plan

    The Water Plan actions will help address the reality of a reduced supply in the future.
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    Water
    Conservation

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    New Water
    Supplies

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    Water and
    Watershed
    Protection

    A1
    Develop a public education campaign
    A2
    Incentivize agricultural water conservation
    A3
    Reduce leaks in drinking water infrastructure and increase municipal conservation
    A4
    Improve water storage and delivery systems
    B1
    Establish a $500M strategic water supply to spur investments in desalination and wastewater treatment
    B2
    Adopt policies to expand potable and nonpotable water reuse
    B3
    Improve groundwater mapping and monitoring
    C1
    Clean up contaminated groundwater sites
    C2
    Protect surface water by controlling pollution through a discharge permitting program
    C3
    Modernize wastewater treatment plants and storm water infrastructure
    C4
    Protect and restore watersheds
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    Water Conservation
    A1
    Develop a public education campaign
    A2
    Incentivize agricultural water conservation
    A3
    Reduce leaks in drinking water infrastructure and increase municipal conservation
    A4
    Improve water storage and delivery systems
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    New Water Supplies
    B1
    Establish a $500M strategic water supply to spur investments in desalination and wastewater treatment
    B2
    Adopt policies to expand potable and nonpotable water reuse
    B3
    Improve groundwater mapping and monitoring
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    Water and Watershed Protection
    C1
    Develop a public education campaign
    C2
    Incentivize agricultural water conservation
    C3
    Reduce leaks in drinking water infrastructure and increase municipal conservation
    C4
    Improve water storage and delivery systems

    The Context

    Learn More About The Current State of Water in New Mexico