(Photo by Mónica Ortiz Uribe - KJZZ)

The Gila River downstream from the town of Cliff, N.M. The state has until the end of the year to decide whether to divert this water into reservoirs.

The fate of a river that flows through Arizona and New Mexico may be decided today when a state commission in New Mexico will recommend whether or not a diversion and storage system should be built along the Gila.

The New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission is meeting in Silver City, New Mexico, where it’s scheduled to deliver its recommendation.

Under the Arizona Water Settlement Act, New Mexico faces an end-of-year deadline to decide the future of the Gila. It could choose to divert a portion of the river for urban or agricultural use, or it could decide to invest in conservation measures aimed at stretching the region's water supply.

Opponents argue a diversion could create a billion-dollar boondoggle and greatly harm the river. But municipal leaders and farmers in the region say diversion would give some assurance in times of drought.

The Gila is the last free-flowing river in New Mexico.