BuRec Projects 7-14% Drop In Flow Of Rio Grande By Mid-Century - Abq Journal

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SANTA FE — The Rio Grande's water supply could decline by 7 to 14 percent on average by midcentury as a result of a warming climate, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation chief Michael Connor said Wednesday.

"The science is clear that climate change will add to the challenges we face," Connor told a field hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee called by Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., the committee chairman, to discuss New Mexico's drought and the long-term water problems posed by climate change.

The hearing included a rundown on this year's problems, which have hit farmers and some cities hard, as well as a scientific perspective on the problems posed by climate change in the future.

The news about this year's situation was grim. Much of the state is in extreme drought, said New Mexico State University professor David DuBois, the state climatologist.

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