Laura: THIS MONTH ON OUR LAND  WE TALK ABOUT THE RIO GRANDE AND WHAT IS HAPPENING THIS YEAR BUT  INTO THE FUTURE AS SCIENTISTS LEARN MORE AND MORE ABOUT WHAT  WILL HAPPEN TO THE RIVER AND RESERVOIRS AND REST OF US WHO  RELY UPON THIS WATER AS TEMPERATURES KEEP RISING AND WE  KEEP HAVING DIFFICULT CONDITIONS.

THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE DON'T JUST REFLECT ONE DRY YEAR  OR ONE BAD SEASON.

THEY INTENSIFY ONE ANOTHER.

THEY BUILD ON ONE ANOTHER.

WE SEE THIS IN OUR FORESTS, OUR RIVERS, ALL ACROSS THE STATE.

ONE PLACE WHERE IT IS PLAIN TO SEE HOW WARMING PLAYS OUT IN OUR  ARID STATE IS ELEPHANT BUTTE RESERVOIR IN SOUTHERN NEW  MEXICO.

Esslinger: RIGHT NOW, I AM  SAD TO SAY THAT WE ARE AT 9% CAPACITY.

THIS RESERVOIR CAN HOLD OVER TWO MILLION, TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND  ACRE FEET OF WATER AND IN MY TENURE WITH THE DISTRICT I HAVE  SEEN IT SPILL OVER THE DAM.

AND I HAVE SEEN IT LOWER THAN IT  IS RIGHT NOW.

SO, IT IS AN UNFORTUNATE THING  BUT WHEN YOU'RE IN THE WEST, DROUGHTS HAPPEN AND WE ARE IN A  MEGA DROUGHT RIGHT NOW.

Laura: GARY ESSLINGER  STARTED WORKING IN 1978 FOR THE ELEPHANT BUTTE IRRIGATION  DISTRICT.

TODAY HE IS TREASURER AND  MANAGER RESPONSIBLE FOR BRINGING WATER TO MORE THAN 90,000 ACRES  OF PECANS, ALFALFA, CHILE, ONIONS AND EVEN COTTON THROUGH  HATCH AND DOWN TO THE MESILLA VALLEY.

LAST FALL, THE DISTRICT TOLD FARMERS NOT TO EXPECT WATER FROM  THIS RESERVOIR ON THE RIO GRANDE.

THEY ARE ANTICIPATING THIS COULD BE THE WORST SEASON IN MEMORY.

Esslinger: MOST OF THE FARMERS IN THIS VALLEY ARE  PRETTY FAMILIAR WITH WHERE WE ARE LOCATED RIGHT NOW AND THEY  COME UP HERE AND SEE THE SAME THING.

IT IS NOT ANY NEWS TO THEM THAT WE ARE SHORT OF SURFACE WATER.

WE HAVE BEEN SHORT FOR, YOU KNOW, GOING ON 20 SOME ODD  YEARS.

Laura: TO SURVIVE, FARMERS  HAVE TO ADAPT.

THEY PUMP GROUNDWATER, OR THEY  FALLOW FIELDS TO USE WHAT WATER IS AVAILABLE FOR HIGHER VALUE  CROPS.

Esslinger: I HATE TO SEE I  GOT AWAY.

I HATE TO SEE AGRICULTURE  DIMINISHED HERE ESPECIALLY BECAUSE IT IS A GREAT PART OF  THIS VALLEY FROM HERE ALL THE WAY DOWN TO EL PASO.

IT FLOURISHES AND YOU THINK  ABOUT IT AND IT HAS GOT A GREAT ECONOMIC BENEFIT TO THIS ENTIRE  STATE.

Laura: LIKE MANY DAMS ACROSS  THE WEST ELEPHANT BUTTE WAS BUILT BY THE U.S. BUREAU OF  RECLAMATION.

DAGMAR LLEWELLYN IS A  HYDROLOGIST WITH THE AGENCY.

Llewellyn: RECLAMATION IS  WHAT THEY DID FROM THE BEGINNING AND IS CHARGED WITH  TAKING WHAT CAN BE AN INHOSPITABLE LANDSCAPE FOR  HUMAN ACTIVITIES AND FINDING WAYS TO MAKE IT SO THAT WE CAN  THRIVE HERE.

THAT IS WHAT WE DID IN THE PAST  BY BUILDING DAMS.

THAT WAS THE ACTION THAT WE  THOUGHT WAS NEEDED AT THAT TIME.

Laura: THE AGENCY HAS EVOLVED  THOUGH.

Llewellyn: I BELIEVE THAT THE  PROGRAMS THAT I WORK ON UNDER THE SECURE WATER ACT ARE WHAT  ENABLE US TO DO THE SAME THING NOW.

WHICH IS TO TRY TO FIND WAYS TO TAKE WHAT IS BECOMING MORE AND  MORE CHALLENGING AND INHOSPITABLE LANDSCAPE FOR A LOT  OF HUMAN ACTIVITIES AND FIND WAYS TO MAKE THEM POSSIBLE AND  ALLOW US TO CONTINUE TO THRIVE HERE.

Laura: OUR LIVES HAVE CERTAINLY CHANGED SINCE THE  EARLY 20TH CENTURY WHEN ELEPHANT BUTTE DAM WAS BUILT AND AS WE  PUMPED MORE GREEN HOUSE GASES INTO THE ATMOSPHERE, WE HAVE  WARMED THE CLIMATE.

Llewellyn: THERE IS NO NEW  NORMAL.

WE TALK ABOUT WHAT IS THE FLOW  OF THIS RIVER RELATIVE TO THE AVERAGE, TO THE NORMAL.

BUT THE CHALLENGE OF CLIMATE CHANGE IS THAT WE ARE LOSING THE  WHOLE CONCEPT OF NORMAL.

Laura: FOR CENTURIES FARMERS  RELIED ON THE RIO GRANDE AS A SNOW MELT DRIVEN SYSTEM.

Llewellyn: THE WATER YOU SEE HERE PREDOMINANTLY ORIGINATES IN  THE MOUNTAINS OF COLORADO AND NORTHERN NEW MEXICO.

AND IT BUILDS UP OVER THE COURSE OF THE WINTER AS IT SNOWS INTO A  SNOW PACK AND THAT IS THE PRIMARY PLACE WHERE WE ACTUALLY  STORE OUR WATER.

Laura: SOME MOISTURE WOULD  SEEP INTO THE FOREST AND SOME WOULD MELT THROUGH THE SPRING  WHEN FARMERS NEED IT TO SUSTAIN CROPS UNTIL THE SUMMER MONSOONS,  BUT AS ARID PLACES LIKE NEW  MEXICO WARM, THEY ALSO DRY.

Llewellyn: THINK ABOUT HOW  YOUR HAIR DRYER WORKS.

YOU HEAT THINGS UP SO THAT YOU  GET THE MOISTURE TO GO INTO THE AIR BUT IT COMES OUT OF OUR  SOILS, IT COMES OUT OF OUR TREE ROOTS AND EVERYTHING THAT USES  WATER, OUR RIPARIAN SYSTEMS, OUR CROPS, EVERYTHING ALL THE WAY  DOWN NEEDS MORE WATER BECAUSE IT IS WARMER, BECAUSE OF THE WAY  YOUR HAIR DRYER WORKS.

Laura: ESSLINGER IS AN  OPTIMIST AND IN HIS TIME HERE HE HAS SEEN DROUGHTS AND  FLOODS AND HE HAS FAITH.

Esslinger:   WE HAVE TO TRUST MANKIND AND TRUST OUR FUTURE TO  THOSE WHO WILL COME IN HERE AND SEE NEW INNOVATIVE WAYS TO HELP  DEAL WITH THE SITUATION TO WHETHER IT IS A DROUGHT  SITUATION OR FLOOD.

I MEAN, MY GOD, IF WE HAD A  FLOOD EVENT HERE, AND I HAVE SEEN THOSE, I HAVE SEEN HATCH  UNDER WATER, IT IS TERRIBLE.

IT IS AS TERRIBLE A SIGHT TO SEE  AS THIS EMPTY LAKE.

Laura: ELEPHANT BUTTE LOW  LEVELS DON'T JUST CAUSE PROBLEMS FOR FARMERS HERE.

UNDER THE RIO GRANDE COMPACT, UNTIL THOSE LEVELS COME UP AND  NEW MEXICO CAN SEND THE WATER IT OWES TO DOWNSTREAM USERS, WE  CAN'T STORE WATER IN SOME UPSTREAM RESERVOIRS EITHER AND  THESE PROBLEMS WON'T DISAPPEAR ANY TIME SOON.

Llewellyn: WE HAVE A RIVER THAT IS HIGHLY VARIABLE IN ITS  FLOWS BOTH WITHIN THE YEAR AND BETWEEN YEARS AND IT IS JUST  GOING TO GET MORE VARIABLE.

SO EVERYTHING -- THEY CALL IT  INTENSIFICATION OF THE WATER CYCLE.

EVERYTHING IS JUST HAPPENING MORE SO.

Laura: CLIMATE OF THE PAST THAT WE ALL CAME TO RELY UPON NO  LONGER OFFERS A MAP FOR THE FUTURE.

AND THE BETTER WE UNDERSTAND THAT, ACCEPT THAT, THE BETTER WE  CAN KNOW HOW TO FACE THAT FUTURE.

FOR OUR LAND AND NEW MEXICO IN FOCUS, I AM LAURA PASKUS.