>> Lou: MY INTERVIEW ON THE MANSION TAX SANTA FE VOTERS WILL CONSIDER IN NOVEMBER IS COMING UP IN ABOUT 15 MINUTES.

NEW MEXICO'S WATER CHALLENGES ARE VAST, ESPECIALLY AS THE PLANET CONTINUES TO WARM.

IN ARID PLACES LIKE NEW MEXICO THAT WARMING COMES WITH INCREASED DRYING.

AND WITH A LIMITED AMOUNT OF WATER TO SHARE AMONG STATES, CITIES, FARMERS AND, OF COURSE, ECOSYSTEMS, WATER PLANNING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER.

AT THE END OF AUGUST, OUR LAND LAURA PASKUS SPOKE WITH NEW MEXICO INTERSTATE STREAM COMMISSION DIRECTOR, HANNAH RISELEY-WHITE ABOUT THE STATE'S CHALLENGES AND HOW PEOPLE CAN GET INVOLVED IN WATER PLANNING.

>> Laura: HANNAH RISELEY-WHITE, WELCOME.

>> Riseley-White: THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

>> Laura: YOU ARE THE DIRECTOR OF THE NEW MEXICO INTERSTATE STREAMS COMMISSION.

WHAT ROLE DOES THE COMMISSION PLAY AND WHY DOES NEW MEXICO NEED ONE?

>> Riseley-White: SURE, THE NEW MEXICO INTERSTATE STREAM COMMISSION US TASKED BY STATUTE WITH SUPPORTING NEW MEXICO'S COMPLIANCE WITH INTERSTATE COMPACTS PRIMARILY.

SO THOSE ARE THE AGREEMENTS BETWEEN NEW MEXICO AND OUR NEIGHBORING STATES ABOUT HOW WATER IS SHARED.

WE ALSO PARTICIPATE IN A LOT OF EFFORTS TO SUPPORT COMPLIANCE WITH FEDERAL ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS LIKE THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT, AND, VERY IMPORTANTLY, AND SOMETHING I AM EXCITED TO TALK WITH YOU ABOUT TODAY AS WELL IS WE SUPPORT WATER PLANNING BOTH STATE-WIDE PLANNING AND REGIONAL PLANNING ACROSS NEW MEXICO.

>> Laura: SO, IN THE TIME THAT I HAVE BEEN COVERING THE INTERSTATE STREAM COMMISSION, I HAVE REALLY SEEN A SHIFT IN THE MEMBERSHIP SITTING AT THE TABLE EVERY MONTH AND IN MEETINGS TO A MORE DIVERSE GROUP.

I FEEL LIKE WHEN I WAS FIRST COVERING THE COMMISSION IT TENDED TO BE MOSTLY OLDER WHITE MEN WHO WERE CONNECTED WITH IRRIGATION DISTRICTS.

THAT SEEMS TO HAVE CHANGED.

HOW DOES A MORE DIVERSE COMMISSION BENEFIT THE WHOLE STATE?

>> Riseley-White: I WOULD SAY THAT THE CHALLENGES WE FACE IN NEW MEXICO RELATED TO WATER ARE VERY SIGNIFICANT ESPECIALLY IN THE FACE OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND INCREASING ARIDIFICATION.

IN ORDER TO CRAFT SOLUTIONS TO THOSE PROBLEMS, WE NEED ALL THE VOICES AT THE TABLE.

AND SO, CLEARLY, YOU KNOW, AG IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF OUR VALUES AND CULTURE IN NEW MEXICO.

BUT WE NEED ACADEMICS, WE NEED MUNICIPAL USERS, WE NEED ENVIRONMENTAL INTERESTS AND WE NEED EVERYONE AT THE TABLE IN ORDER TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THE CHALLENGES WE ARE FACING.

>> Laura: WE SEE THOSE CHALLENGES.

THE RIO GRANDE IS DROPPING RIGHT NOW.

WE HAD A REALLY VARIED YEAR IN TERMS OF WATER, WENT FROM FLOODS TO REALLY LOW CONDITIONS.

I KNOW THIS IS A VAST QUESTION AND ONE YOU THINK ABOUT ALL THE TIME BUT WHAT ARE THE BIG CHALLENGES IN TERMS OF SUPPLY AND DEMAND IN NEW MEXICO?

>> Riseley-White: I THINK THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS HAVE BEEN A REAL WAKE-UP CALL FOR US IN NEW MEXICO AND ACROSS THE WORLD IN TERMS OF CLIMATE CHANGE.

WE SAW UNPRECEDENTED FOREST FIRES THIS LAST YEAR.

THIS YEAR WE HAD A REALLY WET WINTER AND SPRING AND NOW, AS YOU JUST SAID, OUR RIVERS ARE DRYING.

SO, YOU KNOW, WE WORKED VERY CLOSELY WITH THE NEW MEXICO BUREAU OF GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO TO COMPILE ALL OF THE LATEST SCIENCE AROUND CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS TO NEW MEXICO.

THAT REPORT CAN BE FOUND ONLINE.

AND THE BIG TAKEAWAY FROM THAT IS WE ARE LOOKING AT POTENTIALLY A 25% DECREASE IN STREAM FLOW AND RECHARGE TO OUR AQUIFERS BY 2070.

THAT MEANS IT IS MORE CRITICAL THAN EVER FOR US TO WORK TOGETHER TO GET AHEAD OF THOSE CHALLENGES RATHER THAN LAND IN CONFLICTS AND COSTLY LITIGATION BUT FIGURE OUT WHAT THAT INCREASING SCARCITY MEANS TO ALL NEW MEXICANS.

WATER TOUCHES EVERYTHING WE DO IN NEW MEXICO.

AND SO IT IS BOTH A SCARY MOMENT BUT IT IS ALSO A REAL OPPORTUNITY.

WE HAVE A GOVERNOR WHO FULLY SUPPORTS CLIMATE AND SCIENCE-BASED POLICY.

WE HAVE A LEGISLATURE WITH REAL COMMITMENT AND MOTIVATION TO SOLVE AND FUND SOLUTIONS.

AND THEN WE HAVE THE WATER POLICY INFRASTRUCTURE TASKFORCE WHICH THE STATE ENGINEER CONVENED LAST YEAR.

THEY PRODUCE A COMPREHENSIVE SET OF RECOMMENDATIONS RELATED TO WATER AND WE HAVE UNPRECEDENTED STATE AND FEDERAL FUNDING.

SO, IT FEELS LIKE THIS MAGIC MOMENT THAT WE MAY BE ABLE TO SEIZE UPON TO REALLY LAY A PATH FOR NEW MEXICO TO CONFRONT THOSE CHALLENGES.

>> Laura: IN TERMS OF WATER PLANNING, CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT WATER PLANNING THE STATE IS UNDERTAKING RIGHT NOW.

AND HOW IT IS DIFFERENT FROM, OR IS IT DIFFERENT FROM EFFORTS IN THE PAST?

>> Riseley-White: ABSOLUTELY, I THINK GIVEN WHAT I JUST SAID A MINUTE AGO, THIS ISN'T SOMETHING JUST FOR DECISION MAKERS TO PARTICIPATE IN.

THIS IS A MOMENT FOR EVERYONE WHO DRINKS WATER IN NEW MEXICO TO COME TO THE TABLE TO SUPPORT CRAFTING THESE SOLUTIONS.

I AM PARTICULARLY EXCITED TODAY TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT THE WATER SECURITY PLANNING ACT WHICH WAS PASSED UNANIMOUSLY IN THIS LEGISLATIVE SESSION.

IT WAS INSTIGATED, IN PART, BY A RECOMMENDATION FROM THE WATER POLICY AND INFRASTRUCTURE TASKFORCE THAT I MENTIONED EARLIER AND IT IS AN ENTIRE REWRITE OF THE REGIONAL WATER PLANNING STATUTE FOR NEW MEXICO.

THE ORIGINAL STATUTE WAS FROM THE MID 1980'S AND LARGELY MET ITS PURPOSE.

AND WHAT THIS NEW WATER SECURITY PLANNING ACT TASKS THE INTERSTATE STREAM COMMISSION WITH DOING IS ESSENTIALLY TOTALLY RE-ENVISIONING, OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS, WHAT REGIONAL WATER PLANNING WILL LOOK LIKE IN NEW MEXICO, BOTH RE-DELINEATING THE REGIONS THEMSELVES BUT REDEFINING THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE COMPOSITION OF THE PLANNING ENTITIES, REALLY WORKING LINK THE PLANNING EFFORT TO FUNDING FOR IMPLEMENTATION, TO MAKE THAT CONNECTION, AND ENSURE THAT IT IS ALL BASED IN SCIENCE.

SO, EVERYONE SHOULD BE HEARING FROM US IN THE COMING MONTHS ABOUT OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGE IN WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.

I AM REALLY EXCITED ABOUT IT AND OPTIMISTIC THAT WORK CAN REALLY SUPPORT COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE STATE IN PLANNING FOR THE CHANGES AHEAD AND ENSURING THAT WE HAVE POLICIES AND PROGRAMS IN PLACE TO PROTECT OR INTERESTS AND OUR VALUES THROUGHOUT THE STATE.

>> Laura: I FEEL LIKE I KNOW SOME STUFF ABOUT WATER AND HOW CLIMATE AND WATER WORK IN NEW MEXICO BUT EVEN SOMEONE LIKE ME WHO, LIKE I FEEL PRETTY TAPPED IN, LIKE I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE I FIT INTO WATER PLANNING OR HOW MY VOICE AND PERSPECTIVE COULD BE HEARD.

SO I FEEL LIKE IF I DON'T KNOW THAT, LOTS OF OTHER PEOPLE DON'T, SO, CAN YOU GIVE OUR AUDIENCE SOME ADVICE ON HOW THEY ENGAGE AND ALSO HOW THEY FEEL LIKE THEY ARE BEING HEARD.

>> Riseley-White: I THINK THERE IS TWO COMPONENTS, CLEARLY.

THERE IS WHAT YOU DO HAVE CONTROL OVER IN YOUR HOME, RIGHT.

HOW YOU USE WATER AND THINKING ABOUT CONSERVATION.

AND I SHOULD SAY, YOU KNOW, A CRITICAL PART OF THE SOLUTION GIVEN THE INCREASING SCARCITY THAT I MENTIONED IS GOING TO BE CONSERVATION.

WE ARE GOING TO NEED ALL KINDS OF INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS, IDENTIFYING OTHER SOURCES, BRACKISH WATER, ET CETERA, BUT WE ALSO ARE JUST GOING TO NEED TO CONSUME LESS.

SO THERE IS WHAT YOU DO IN YOUR HOME BUT THEN THERE IS ALSO, AS YOU KIND OF ALLUDED TO, THE BIGGER PICTURE POLICY AROUND HOW WATER IS MANAGED MORE BROADLY IN NEW MEXICO AND I THINK THERE IS QUITE A NUMBER OF RESOURCES FOR PEOPLE TO LEARN MORE INCLUDING YOU DO EXCELLENT REPORTING, SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR MANY YEARS OF COVERING WATER.

WE ARE REALLY LOOKING -- OUR PLANNING GROUP IS LOOKING TO BECOME SORT OF A HUB FOR INFORMATION WHERE PEOPLE COULD COME TO OUR WEBSITE, FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT HOW TO ENGAGE IN REGIONAL PLANNING BUT ALSO SPECIFIC POLICY DECISION POINTS OR OPPORTUNITIES FOR INNOVATION AND HAVING SORT OF WHITE PAPERS AND AN ABILITY TO CONNECT PEOPLE TO INFORMATION TO HELP SOLVE EXACTLY THE PROBLEM THAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT.

WHAT DOES AN AVERAGE PERSON DO TO HELP INFLUENCE POLICY?

BUT IT WOULD ALSO SAY AGAIN THAT WATER POLICING AND THE STRUCTURED TASKFORCE HAD THIS VERY COMPLETE REPORT THAT CAN BE FUND AT NMWATER.ORG.

THAT INCLUDES 17 RECOMMENDATIONS WITH A TOTAL OF 106 STRATEGIES.

IT IS WAY MORE THAN COULD HAPPEN IMMEDIATELY BUT THERE IS LOTS THAT PEOPLE COULD WORK TO ADVANCE IN THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS AND WE ARE LOOKING AT SOMETHING THAT WILL BE PHASED OVER THE NEXT TWO OR THREE YEARS OR MORE TO GET THOSE POLICIES IN PLACE AND CERTAINLY LOOKING FOR SUPPORT ON THOSE AS WELL.

>> Laura: YOU KIND OF MENTIONED VARIOUS OBLIGATIONS THAT THE INTERSTATE STREAM COMMISSION HAS.

I WANTED TO TALK JUST A LITTLE BIT ABOUT RIVERS AND RIVERS THAT GO THROUGH MULTIPLE STATES.

I THINK OFTENTIMES I HEAR IT A LOT IN FEEDBACK ON MY REPORTING PEOPLE SEE THE RIO GRANDE DROPPING OR THEY SEE WATER GOING PAST ALBUQUERQUE AND THEY SAY, WE NEED TO STOP GIVING WATER TO TEXAS.

WHY CAN'T WE STOP GIVING WATER TO TEXAS?

>> Riseley-White: WELL, WE ALSO GET A LOT OF THAT WATER FROM COLORADO.

SO, YOU KNOW, COLORADO COULD SAY, WELL, LET'S NOT SEND ANY WATER DOWN TO NEW MEXICO.

I THINK GIVEN INCREASING SCARCITY, THOSE AGREEMENTS BETWEEN STATES BECOME EVEN MORE IMPORTANT AND OUR COMPLIANCE WITH THEM IS JUST BEING A GOOD NEIGHBOR, RIGHT.

SO I THINK THAT EVEN THOUGH IT IS HARD OFTEN FOR PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND, WE ARE PART OF A BROADER SYSTEM, BOTH IN TERMS OF SURFACE WATER AND SHARED AQUIFERS, RIGHT THAT NEED TO BE MANAGED COLLECTIVELY AND THOUGHTFULLY WITH ALL OF OUR PARTNERS ACROSS OUR STATE BOUNDARIES.

>> Laura: THEN, IN TERMS OF THE INTERSTATE STREAM COMMISSION HAS OBLIGATIONS FOR THE STATE FOR INTERSTATE COMPACTS.

WHAT ABOUT OBLIGATIONS TO RIVERS THEMSELVES AND THE ECOSYSTEMS THEY SUPPORT?

>> Riseley-White: ONE THING I HAVE BEEN EXCITED ABOUT IN THE LAST FEW YEARS IS SEEING BLOSSOMING PARTNERSHIPS ACROSS THE NGO COMMUNITY AND GOVERNMENT COMMUNITY AND ACADEMIC COMMUNITY.

SO, I SPOKE TO THIS EARLIER.

I DON'T THINK WE CAN SOLVE THESE PROBLEMS ALONE.

WE WILL HAVE TO BE SUPER CREATIVE IN BRINGING ALL THE PARTNERS TO THE TABLE.

THERE IS A ROBUST GROUP OF NGO'S IN NEW MEXICO WORKING TO PROTECT STREAM FLOW FOR THE ENVIRONMENT.

AND AS WE, YOU KNOW, SEE INCREASING RISE IN TEMPERATURES AND SCARCITY THAT I MENTIONED EARLIER, IT ALSO MEANS LESS WATER FOR OUR NATURAL ECOSYSTEM.

SO WE HAVE SOME REAL DECISION POINTS TO MAKE AS WE FACE THAT INCREASING SCARCITY ABOUT WHAT WE VALUE.

AND WHAT THAT MEANS ABOUT HOW WE ARE PROTECTING FLOWS FOR HABITAT.

AND THERE IS AN AMAZING GROUP OF FOLKS WORKING ON THAT RIGHT NOW IN NEW MEXICO.

>> Laura: DO YOU THINK THAT NEW MEXICO COULD EVER BE ONE OF THE STATES THAT RECOGNIZES THAT RIVERS HAVE RIGHTS TO THEIR OWN WATERS OR ARE PROTECTED LIKE THAT?

>> Riseley-White: ABSOLUTELY.

THE OFFICE OF THE STATE ENGINEER CURRENTLY IS PERMITTING IN STREAM FLOW AS A PERMITTED USE.

THERE IS A NUMBER OF THOSE APPLICATIONS OUT THERE.

INTERSTATE STREAM COMMISSION IS ALSO TASKED BY STATUTE WITH ADMINISTERING WHAT IS CALLED THE STRATEGIC WATER RESERVE.

THAT'S BEEN AROUND FOR A COUPLE OF DECADES NOW.

WITH DUAL PURPOSES OF PROTECTING STREAM FLOW, EXACTLY LIKE YOU'RE SAYING FOR EITHER COMPACT DELIVERIES OR SPECIES PURPOSES, AND THOSE SPECIES PURPOSES COULD EITHER BE LISTED SPECIES OR ECOSYSTEMS THAT HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO HAVE LISTED SPECIES IN THEM.

IT IS A VERY POWERFUL AND YET I THINK UNDERUTILIZED TOOL FOR NEW MEXICO.

WE HAVEN'T HAD CONSISTENT FUNDING FOR IT OVER TIME.

THIS LEGISLATIVE SESSION WE ALSO GOT A BIG CHUNK OF MONEY WHICH WE ARE PLEASED WITH.

THAT RESERVE IS BECOMING INCREDIBLY VALUE IN STREAM SYSTEMS ACROSS NEW MEXICO INCLUDING MOST RECENTLY ON THE SAN JUAN.

WE PARTICIPATED IN A VERY INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIP SOLUTION ON THE SAN JUAN WITH THE NATURE CONSERVANCY AND THE JICARILLA APACHE NATION FOR A LARGE STRATEGIC WATER RESERVE LEASE THERE.

AND WE ARE HOPING TO LEARN FROM THAT AND REPLICATE THAT ELSEWHERE IN ORDER TO PROTECT STREAM FLOW.

>> Laura: THESE ARE CHALLENGING AND SCARY TIMES WHEN IT COMES TO LOTS OF THINGS, FIRE, WATER.

ARE YOU, HOPEFUL IS NOT THE WORD I WENT TO USE, BUT WHAT DO YOU HAVE HOPE OR OPTIMISM FOR NEW MEXICO AND OUR WATER CHALLENGES?

>> Riseley-White: I THINK HUMANS ARE INCREDIBLY CREATIVE AND RESOURCEFUL IF WE COULD GET TO TOGETHER TO FIND SOLUTIONS AND I DO FEEL LIKE THERE IS THIS INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITY RIGHT IN THIS MOMENT OF TIME WITHIN THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS, ESPECIALLY WITH THE FEDERAL FUNDING AVAILABLE AND STATE FUNDING, FOR US TO IMPLEMENT SOME REALLY LASTING SOLUTIONS, NOT ONLY FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS, BUT FOR DECADES TO COME.

SO I AM ACTUALLY REALLY EXCITED TO BE IN MY ROLE AT THE INTERSTATE STREAM COMMISSION, REALLY APPRECIATIVE OF THE FULL SLATE OF PARTNERS INCLUDING AMAZING STATE AGENCY PARTNERS.

AND SO I AM, EVEN THOUGH IT IS A DAUNTING AND OVERWHELMING TASK, I AM VERY OPTIMISTIC ABOUT WHAT WE CAN ACHIEVE TOGETHER IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS.

>> Laura: DIRECTOR RISELEY-WHITE, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY.

>> Riseley-White: THANK YOU SO MUCH.

REALLY APPRECIATE IT.