New Mexico and Rio Grande Water Journalism Project
New Mexico and
the Rio Grande
Grants for journalists
Apply by March 7
Multimedia library
We've expanded our support for water journalism in the Southwest.
Supported by the Thornburg Foundation and the Water Funder Initiative
Project announcements
New Mexico and Rio Grande Journalism Project
This page explains how journalists can apply to The Water Desk for funding to support their coverage of water issues connected to New Mexico and the Rio Grande.
We will...
Stories and reports
Special Report: Colorado, New Mexico struggle to save the blistered Rio Grande, with lessons...
Cities in New Mexico and Colorado are juggling water scarcity concerns over the Rio Grande.
State inspections lag for New Mexico’s primary drinking water source
New Mexico is behind in water inspections for the third year in a row, leaving water quality in question.
Colorado River crisis giving tribes new opportunities to right century-old water wrongs
Early involvement in negotiating new Colorado River guidelines will be critical for tribes to determine their future.
Grim 2022 drought outlook for Western US offers warnings for the future as climate...
A rapidly warming climate has put the American West in a brutal drought with a hotter and thirstier atmosphere.
Grantee stories
Special Report: Colorado, New Mexico struggle to save the blistered Rio Grande, with lessons...
Cities in New Mexico and Colorado are juggling water scarcity concerns over the Rio Grande.
A century of federal indifference left generations of Navajo homes without running water
A new pipeline will provide running water to some of the 30 to 40% of Navajo Nation residents who still live without it in their homes.
As water reaches eastern Navajo communities, it brings possibilities and homecomings
The Navajo Gallup Water Supply Project, under construction in New Mexico, is testing approaches for improving access to running water.
San Luis Valley ranchers see dividends in water for fish. Are they on to...
A farmer and environmentalist formed an unlikely partnership to improve fish habitat in the San Luis Valley.
Video: Five years after the Gold King Mine spill
Environmental correspondent Laura Paskus revisits the Gold King Mine spill and the destructive impact of the toxic orange plume that went flowing down the Animas and San Juan rivers five years ago.
Data viz: Elephant Butte Reservoir levels
Last update: September 21, 2022
Percent of total capacity
Source: US Bureau of Reclamation
Data viz: Navajo Lake levels
Last update: September 21, 2022
Percent of total capacity
Source: US Bureau of Reclamation
Map: Rio Grande drought tracker
This map depicts data from the National Drought Mitigation Center. Drought intensity categories are based on numerous indicators and local reports from more than 350 expert observers around the...
Map: New Mexico drought tracker
This map depicts data from the National Drought Mitigation Center. Drought intensity categories are based on numerous indicators and local reports from more than 350 expert observers around the...
Map: New Mexico monthly precipitation
This map shows total rain and snowfall in the New Mexico every month from 1981 to the present. The map's color scale runs from white (no precipitation), to blue (significant precipitation) to red (intense precipitation)....
Related multimedia
Photos and videos: Elephant Butte Reservoir, August 2022
This page features drone-captured and ground-based photos and videos of Elephant Butte Reservoir, along the Rio Grande near Truth or Consequences, N.M.
Elephant Butte Dam, completed in 1916, was built...
Photos and videos: Rio Grande Gorge, August 2022
This page features ground-based and drone-captured images and videos of the Rio Grande Gorge, near Taos, N.M.
The Rio Grande Gorge is a striking canyon up to 800 feet deep...
Photos: Abiquiu Lake, March 2022
This page in our free multimedia library features photos of Abiquiu Lake, which impounds the Rio Chama in northwest New Mexico.
Situated between the Sangre de Cristo and San Juan...
Water and colonialism in New Mexico – Water Buffs Podcast ep. 10 – Julia Bernal
Julia Bernal, director of the Pueblo Action Alliance, talks to Water Desk Director Mitch Tobin about the legacy of colonialism in New Mexico and its impact on water issues.
Water and climate change in New Mexico – Water Buffs Podcast ep. 9 – Laura...
We talk to Laura Paskus, a journalist with New Mexico PBS, about her coverage of climate change and water issues in the state.