Conversations about water: planning for our shared water future

A local informal group that has been calling itself Conversations About Water drew in over 25 people for a discussion and presentation on regional water planning in the City Hall Chambers.

“There are so many reasons to become more educated about water for New Mexicans,” Gina Dello Russo, who has been instrumental in starting the group, said. “ Simply put, water is life, life for us, life for the agricultural community, life for the river and wildlife that live or come to visit us here.”

Presenter Aiden Manning, Associate at the Rivers and Waters Program at New Mexico Wild and a PhD holder in watershed hydrology, said they became involved in regional water planning and advocacy because of his background in understanding the complexity of water systems.

They said New Mexico Wild is a statewide nonprofit focused on protecting wildlife, water, and wildlands in New Mexico. Manning works with coalitions and communities around the state to push for healthy, sustainable waters and watersheds in New Mexico.

Manning presented on the new regional water planning and review of the draft rules as currently understood and how these rules would apply specifically to the Middle Rio Grande and Socorro region. They also shared how attendees could stay involved in the process, noting the rules were still subject to change based on ongoing deliberations.

“Water is very complicated,” Manning said, “And the thing is, that complexity gets reflected when we’re trying to plan for challenges of the water future.”

Manning felt the conversation was especially good in Socorro.

“I was really pleased to hear people asking a lot of the right questions and bringing healthy critical considerations to the table,” Manning said.

Dello Russo said she found the presentation helpful in understanding the status of New Mexico’s Regional Water Planning efforts.

“I think it was a step forward in better understanding what is happening around us in terms of this water issue - planning for our shared water future,” Dello Russo said.

The idea of continuing conversations grew out of two Matanzas that were hosted by UNM’s Utton Center in 2024 and 2025, said Dello Russo.

“A small group of us thought it would be a good idea to continue talking about concerns people voiced at those events. So we started with this topic,” Dello Russo said.

She hopes this is just one conversation of many around the topic of water for our community.

“There are worthwhile efforts underway to better understand our water supplies, there are planning processes to determine priorities for water projects, programs and policies for our state, and of course, there is the question of how we sustain water quantity and quality for the future in our state, and specifically here along the Rio Grande,” Dello Russo said.

The group is considering hosting discussions on water topics as a group every three or four months. The conversations are open to the public.

“Our idea was just to have these informal conversations about water so that we, as a community, can feel like we understand water issues that might impact us and so that when opportunities arise, we can voice our concerns and ideas based on shared knowledge,” Dello Russ said.

Manning believes it is critical to keep communities engaged in water issues.

“The local water expertise found in communities across New Mexico is exceptional and very special,” Manning said, “People here may not always have all the tools and resources to solve their local water problems, but their understandings and perspectives of those problems and potential solutions can do a lot to guide state and federal resources to do the greatest good.”

The next conversation will be held on April 22 with time and place to be announced. For those interested in joining the Conversations About Water email list visit the SCOPE office 215 Fisher Avenue in Socorro.