NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Last dry season was remarkable for New Mexico. Elephant Butte’s water levels remained low, a key irrigation district even delayed the irrigation season by a month. By August, the Rio Grande was reduced to puddles through Albuquerque, despite some decent monsoon rains. Some water keepers cut irrigation season short in October.
This week on KRQE News 13’s New Mexico News Podcast, the focus is on the state’s seemingly continual drought. Why does it matter when New Mexico’s drought status becomes so pronounced? What’s ahead for the weather this season? What can we or should we do to address our water supply?
KRQE Digital Anchor Chris McKee and Investigative Reporter Gabrielle Burkhart are joined by two guests this week for a look at the drought and New Mexico weather. A University of New Mexico Professor and Director of UNM’s Water Resources program, John Fleck joins the conversation to discuss the state’s water issues. Toward the end of the episode, KRQE Chief Meteorologist Grant Tosterud gives us a recap on how the last “wet season” was, and what’s ahead for this summer.
Also, stick around for a recap on the outcomes of the state’s one-day, special legislative session addressing economic relief payments. Chris and Gabby profiled the session in last week’s episode, titled: “Cash Payments for New Mexicans.”
As mentioned in the episode, here’s a link to Curtis Segarra’s article titled, “New Mexico tax rebates: How much will you get?” For more information on John Fleck’s work, click here to visit his blog on New Mexico water issues. And finally, Grant’s forecast and more from KRQE’s weather team can be found here on KRQE.com/weather.
Download new episodes of the New Mexico News Podcast every Tuesday. Episodes are available on the most popular platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and Podbean among others.
To find the show on your favorite podcast player, type “KRQE News” or “New Mexico News Podcast” into the search feature. Use the links above to find the podcast on each respective service, or listen to the audio player below.
If you have a question, comment, or suggestion for the podcast, let us know! Email the hosts at chris.mckee@krqe.com or gabrielle.burkhart@krqe.com.
