Water Conservation

New Mexico’s water conservation traditions have been shaped over the centuries by our Pueblos, Tribes, acequias, rural areas, and cities and we rely on those communities to continue to develop innovative ways to conserve water. It is essential that we take actions together to preserve and protect the unique traditions we have here in the State while we build a platform for future generations through additional water conservation measures tailored to the changing climate.
New Mexico’s water conservation traditions have been shaped over the centuries by our Pueblos, Tribes, acequias, rural areas, and cities and we rely on those communities to continue to develop innovative ways to conserve water. It is essential that we take actions together to preserve and protect the unique traditions we have here in the State while we build a platform for future generations through additional water conservation measures tailored to the changing climate.

As we face diminished surface water and groundwater supplies in the coming decades, we can work together to prioritize actions that translate to decreased water use – even as we grow our communities and advance new industries, such as clean energy production and manufacturing and diversified crops. New Mexico’s farmers and ranchers produce products that are an essential element of the State’s food supply and the economy that forms the lifeblood of many of our rural communities. And, as the largest water users throughout the State, agricultural producers understand the need to conserve and protect the State’s water resources in order to sustain a vibrant agricultural sector for generations to come. As drought and other effects of climate change impact food production in the Southwestern U.S., having a secure, locally produced food supply will be increasingly critical for New Mexico’s future.

Over the coming decades, through implementation of the actions below and other parallel efforts, New Mexicans will conserve water through broader education on water issues and actions we take can do at home and work to preserve our most precious resource, as well as through adoption of new irrigation technologies and tools for sustainable agriculture and upgraded municipal water infrastructure. We will leverage unprecedented levels of federal funding, available through 2026 and beyond through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Inflation Reduction Act, the Farm Bill and other programs, for everything from fixing leaks in community drinking water distribution lines to upgrading dams, reservoirs and conveyance systems to ensure secure supplies with decreased water loss. In the first two years of BIL funding, New Mexico has already received over $800 million from federal agencies
for water infrastructure investments, and we are just getting started.

New Mexicans have a strong track record of residential water conservation, as evidenced by trends in some of our largest cities; however, we know that we will need to continue to employ water conservation and education to enhance these positive trends as our communities grow and freshwater supplies decline.

A1
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Develop a public education campaign

A2
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Incentivize agricultural water conservation

A3
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Reduce leaks in drinking water infrastructure and increase municipal conservation

A4
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Improve water storage and delivery systems

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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    A1: Develop a public education campaign

    Develop and implement New Mexico’s Water Education Template (“WET”), a statewide water education campaign, to inform all New Mexicans about the source of their water, what is at stake due to reduced supplies in future years, and how each individual can do their part to conserve.

    A1: The ROI Goal

    By 2040, decrease water consumption in rural and municipal communities by 10% through the combination of water education, water planning, and local incentives for water conservation at homes and businesses.

    A1: Progress

    Progress on the conservation and public education goals outlined in A1 can be tracked across four major initiatives.
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    General Public Education
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    Public School Education – K-12
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    Water Workforce Department
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    Regional Water Planning
    Over 1.4M views
    on Main Stream New Mexico Water Facts public education videos
    XX participants
    in the Water & Wastewater Systems Operation Specialist Apprenticeship Program
    View rulemaking timeline and progress for New Mexico regional water planning.
    Explore New Mexico Water Data
    Watch the Water Facts video series to learn more about water in New Mexico.
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    Immediate Next Steps

    Putting The Plan Into Action

    A1: Public Education Campaign

    A2: Incentivize
    Agricultural Conservation

    A3: Reduce leaks and increase municipal conservation
    A4: Improve water storage and delivery
    A1: Public Education Campaign
    A2: Incentivize Agricultural Conservation
    A3: Reduce leaks and increase municipal conservation
    A4: Improve water storage and delivery