Estancia, N.M. Is Drying Up

Estancia is drying up because of years of drought. Add to that, according to Inside Climate News, the Torrance County Detention Facility. It is used for federal immigration detention. The same report says the center is bringing in water by trucks. Severe drought often leads to aggressive measures regarding how water is used. 

Estancia has not been able to do anything about its water problem. That may be because there is nothing to do. The town is located southwest of Albuquerque and has 1,314 residents. It is not near any body of water. 

Estancia is not the only location with a severe water problem. Those with nearly as much trouble are Ingleside, Aransas Pass, Three Rivers, and Orange Grove, which are near Corpus Christi. Their water sources, which are primarily Lake Corpus Christi and Choke Canyon, are at about 8% of full capacity.

Another town with a similar problem is Mathis, TX. It also has a water source that is drying up.

None of these locations is wildly different from much larger places in the West. Drought, which scientists blame on global warming, has brought with it widespread water problems. The Hoover Dam created Lake Mead. The lake is at 28% capacity according to the Department of the Interior. This has undermined the dam’s ability to generate electricity. The lake, which is fed by the Colorado River, is the source of water for parts of Arizona, Nevada, California, and Mexico. The river is the source of water for Lake Mead/

While not as severe, a number of America’s largest cities face a looming, extremely difficult water problem. These include Tucson, Las Vegas, Mesa, and Scottsdale. 

Estancia is a canary in the coal mine.

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