New Mexico farmers brace for meager allocations in 2019

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN, Associated Press
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The irrigation canals are all but dry as farmers along the Rio Grande set in for winter, holding out hope that El Nino will develop and save them from what could otherwise be another dry start to the next growing season.
The irrigation district that serves farmers in southern New Mexico already has issued a warning that next year's allotment could be as little as a few inches (10 centimeters) of water.
Elephant Butte, the largest reservoir in the state, bottomed out at 3 percent of capacity at the end of September. That marked the lowest since the early 1970s.
Federal drought maps show the situation has improved along the Rio Grande corridor but the Four Corners region and the southern Colorado mountains that feed the river are still dealing with extreme to exceptional drought.