New Mexico officials are accusing Texans of drilling wells near the state line and pumping out fresh water with a view to selling it on the open market. It rankles New Mexico because:
Maybe a lengthy court battle to follow?Quote:
...on the Texas side, where the "rule of capture" rules groundwater policy, people basically can pump water from beneath their land to their heart's content. But on the New Mexico side, the state has imposed tight regulations on both surface and groundwater that restrict supply.Now a top New Mexico politician is crying foul, saying that unregulated pumping from wells next to the state line is depleting the shared aquifers that supply water to southern New Mexico.
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"Texas is stealing New Mexico's water," said New Mexico State Land Commissioner Aubrey Dunn. "If you put a whole bunch of straws in Texas and you don't have any straws in New Mexico, you're sucking all the water from under New Mexico out in Texas and then selling it back to New Mexico."
The difference in ownership of land in the two states contributes to the divergent water policies. In Texas, more than 90 percent of the land is privately owned. In New Mexico, by contrast, only 43 percent is owned by individuals, while 57 percent is in government or tribal hands.
https://www.gosanangelo.com/story/news/local/texas/2018/06/09/texans-accused-stealing-millions-gallons-water/687316002/