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With its headwaters located in the Gila Wilderness of southwestern New Mexico, the Gila River is the last mainstem river in New Mexico without a major water development. An un-dammed river in New Mexico is in itself a rare feature, and its natural cycle of flows supports outstanding examples of riparian forest and a remarkable abundance of wildlife, including the densest population of non-colonial breeding birds in the United States. The river also provides recreational opportunities and water for municipal, agricultural and mining use. Despite these demands, the river offers a perennial, largely unregulated flow. The Gila Conservation Coalition (GCC) is a partnership of local environmental and conservation groups and concerned individuals that promote conservation of the Upper Gila River Basin and surrounding lands.

Experience the Ecology and Beauty of the Gila River Firsthand

at the 2006 Annual Gila River Festival!

Gila River Threatened by Potential Reservoir Project

Second Annual Gila River Festival

factsheet

chamber of commerce webpage for lodging

plus

eventually add map

Press

Gila Conservation Coalition Releases Results of Economic Analysis of Future Water Supply Needs in Silver City and the Central Mining District

There is no need for a water diversion on the Gila River, New Mexico’s last free-flowing river, as is being proposed under recently passed legislation, according to a technical analysis released by the Gila Conservation Coalition. The group’s economic analysis of future water supply needs for Silver City and the Central Mining District demonstrates that the area’s future water demand can be met through new well fields or a combination of new well fields and surface water use at approximately one tenth the cost of a Gila River diversion project. The Coalition’s chairman, M.H. “Dutch” Salmon, stated “Our results show that a Gila River diversion would cost at least 10 times more than drilling new wells or conjunctive use. This is an important finding. We need to look to low-cost alternatives to provide our future water supply and the Gila Conservation Coalition has proven that a diversion project just doesn’t make good economic sense.”

link to Potential Economic Costs of a Gila River Diversion (in resources)

Action Alert

What you can do to help protect the Gila River

Governor Bill Richardson
State Capitol Building
Room 240
Santa Fe, NM 87501
(505) 476-2200
(505) 476-2226 fax
Email form at
Senator Jeff Bingaman
703 Hart Senate Office Bldg
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-5521
(202) 224-2852 fax
Email the senator.
Senator Pete Domenici
328 Hart Office Building
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-6621
(202)228-3261fax
Email form at

Events

Gila River Festival

Join Gila Conservation Coalition’s Dutch Salmon on a virtual trip down the Gila River. Dutch is the author of “Gila Descending: a Southwestern Journey” and . . .

link to his email.

Schedule

Resources

Southwest NM RegionalWater Plan

Potential Economic Costs of a Gila River Diversion:

Meeting Future Water Supply Needs in Silver City and the Central Mining District

Dutch Salmon link

Gila River Ecology

The Potential Hydrological and Ecological Impacts of a Gila River Diversion

The New Mexico Gila Settlement

The New Mexico Gila Settlement paves the way for a major water development on the Gila River, with potentially severe impacts to the river’s unique ecological values. [keep as intro]

[create separate internal page]Background

Ending more than two years of negotiations, New Mexico and Arizona reached agreement in July over the fate of 18,000 acre-feet of Gila River water originally promised to New Mexico under the 1968 Central Arizona Project authorizing legislation. The agreement is outlined in an amendment to the Arizona Water Settlements Act (S.437 & HR 885) and accompanying agreements. The bill itself is intended to settle long-standing Native American water rights claims in Arizona. New Mexico and its powerful Senators would not support the bill until negotiations to guarantee these water rights and receive funding from the Lower Colorado River Basin Development Fund were complete. The bill has now passed both houses of Congress and was signed by President Bush.

Key Terms of the New Mexico Gila Settlement

  • The proposed amendment to S.437 would provide $66 million to New Mexico for any water-related purpose in southwestern New Mexico. While this funding could be put to good use in this economically distressed part of the state, the amendment provides an attractive and irresponsible incentive to move forward with a water development project. New Mexico may receive an additional $34 – $62 million for a project if it can show that it is environmentally and economically feasible.
  • New Mexico will be able to divert 14,000 acre-feet of water per year, giving up at least 4,000 acre-feet per year of the state’s 1968 allocation to satisfy downstream senior water rights holders.
  • On any given day, New Mexico may divert 75% – 80% of the excess water above what is required to flow downstream for senior water users.

Diversion of an additional 14,000 acre-feet of water almost doubles current adjudicated withdrawal from these rivers. Contrary to public assertions, this diversion could impair river function and riparian conditions and threaten native species. The agreement does not address reliable supply problems for new users that are posed by the high annual variability in river flows and by anticipated long-term flow reductions attributable to extended drought. Projected costs are also very high and may substantially exceed benefits – as they did in a 1987 Bureau of Reclamation study of the Hooker and Conner dams and potential alternatives.

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About Us

Organized in 1984 to protect the free flow of the Gila and San Francisco Rivers and the wilderness characteristics of the Gila and Aldo Leopold Wilderness areas, the Gila Conservation Coalition (GCC) is a partnership of local environmental and conservation groups and concerned individuals that promote conservation of the Upper Gila River Basin and surrounding lands. The GCC was instrumental in stopping the Hooker and Conner Dam proposals in the 1980s. The group also achieved protection of the East Fork of the Gila River from road building and partial closure of the wild San Francisco River to ORV use.

Contacts:

Allyson Siwik, Executive Director (505) 538-8078

Dutch Salmon, Chairman (505) 388-3763