MRGCD Warns Valencia County Irrigators of Limited Water as Spring Runoff Falls Short

Rio Grande flows that briefly surged during early March have since fallen to roughly 30% of those peak levels, and the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District is warning Valencia County irrigators that the 2026 season may offer little margin for error.

The MRGCD issued a public advisory Thursday, telling agricultural irrigators, acequia groups, and municipal and industrial water users across the Middle Rio Grande system that limited supply is already constraining deliveries as the irrigation season opens. The district said it will continue to operate under rotational delivery schedules and urged water users to "take water when it is available" because future delivery opportunities are uncertain.

MRGCD CEO and Chief Engineer Jason Casuga identified the first day of spring as the inflection point. "The first day of spring marked a turning point," Casuga said. "At that point, incoming flows were no longer sufficient to meet both diversion needs and required river bypass thresholds."

The district attributed the shortfall to a convergence of factors largely outside its authority. Low-elevation snowmelt drove an early pulse of flows in March, enabling some deliveries sooner than normal, but that pulse has since subsided. Whether high-elevation snowpack will produce a secondary runoff event remains uncertain. Compounding the problem, upstream reservoir operations in the Rio Chama system, managed to serve tribal, federal, and other prioritized uses, and Colorado diversions are reducing the volume of water crossing the state line into New Mexico before it ever reaches MRGCD's diversion points.

For Valencia County farmers considering spring planting or scheduling critical irrigation events, the practical message is direct: rotational deliveries will continue with limited flexibility to reschedule missed turns. The district urged efficiency and cooperation among users to reduce conflicts as supply windows narrow.

Municipal and non-potable reuse projects relying on MRGCD-managed channels were advised to coordinate closely with suppliers, as delivery windows may be brief and difficult to predict.

The MRGCD said it will monitor streamflows and runoff forecasts continuously and issue rolling updates as conditions evolve. If supplies worsen, restrictions on non-essential irrigation could follow. For now, Casuga's advisory carries a single, unambiguous directive for the region's water users: plan conservatively, because a second opportunity may not come.