RELEASE: State seeks public input on Lower Rio Grande Water Rights Purchase Program
State of New Mexico
Office of the State Engineer
Interstate Stream Commission
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 18, 2026
Contact: Maggie Fitzgerald
maggie.fitzgerald@ose.nm.gov
State seeks public input on Lower Rio Grande Water Rights Purchase Program
Meetings scheduled in Anthony, Las Cruces, Hatch and online May 26- June 3
Las Cruces, N.M. — The New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission is inviting residents to attend a series of community meetings this month to learn about and weigh in on the Lower Rio Grande Water Rights Purchase Program, an effort to address long-term groundwater depletion and meet the state’s water commitments in the region.
Meetings are scheduled as follows and presentations will begin promptly at 4 p.m.:
Tuesday, May 26, 4–6 p.m., Doña Ana Community College - Gadsden Center Room 140 and 141, 1700 Ohara Rd., Anthony, NM 88021 Wednesday, May 27, 4–6 p.m., Thomas Branigan Memorial Library, 200 E Picacho Ave, Las Cruces, NM 88001 Thursday, May 28, 4–6 p.m., Hatch High School Commons Area, 170 E Herrera Rd, Hatch, NM 87937 Wednesday, June 3, 4–5:30 p.m., online meeting via Zoom: zoom.us/j/91228323784
Each session will provide an overview of the program-- including why it is being developed, its current status and how public input will inform next steps. Attendees can ask questions and speak directly with program representatives.
“These meetings are an opportunity to share information, hear questions and concerns, and better understand the perspectives of the communities that may be affected,” said ISC Lower Rio Grande Bureau Chief Ryan Serrano . “Community input is an important part of this process.”
Program development is ongoing, and community input will play a key role in shaping how it moves forward.
For more information about the program, please email NMISCPurchaseProgram@wsp.com .
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The Office of the State Engineer is charged with administering the state’s water resources. The State Engineer has power over the supervision, measurement, appropriation, and distribution of all surface and groundwater in New Mexico, including streams and rivers that cross state boundaries. The State Engineer is also Secretary of the Interstate Stream Commission.
The nine-member Interstate Stream Commission is charged with separate duties including protecting New Mexico’s right to water under eight interstate stream compacts, ensuring the state complies with each of those compacts as well as investigating, conserving and protecting the waters of the State, in addition to water planning.
https://www.ose.state.nm.us