Injunction Order May Impact Gila River Water Rights
A judge in New Mexico has issued a temporary injunction order against a state agency tasked with deciding the fate of the Gila River.
The injunction prevents the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission (ISC) from taking any actions or holding any meetings related to the Gila River. The agency has until December to decide whether or not to build a major diversion on the river.
But the ISC is being sued by its former director, Norm Gaume, who accused the agency of excluding the public from important meetings related to the decision. The suit alleges that during these meetings the ISC awarded contracts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to hire consulting firms.
Gaume, a retired water engineer, has publicly denounced the ISC for its diversion proposals, calling them "fatally flawed."
New Mexico is entitled to additional water from the Gila River thanks to a 2004 water settlement with the state of Arizona. At stake is more than $100 million in federal funds, which would not be enough to cover the cost of damming the river.
The ISC can also decide against diverting the river and instead accept $66 million in federal funds for water conservation projects.
