El Paso Shifting From Rio Grande To Wellwater; Elephant Butte Reservoir At Less Than 10% Of Capacity

Elephant Butte Lake remains less than four percent full of water available to downstream users, including El Paso Water Utilities and its customers. While the number is telling, recent photos of the lake are even more striking. During the week of February 4-8, 2013, EPWU will dedicate its social media platforms to sharing photos and videos which demonstrate the drought's impact on Elephant Butte Lake. (Special to the Times)

The water level at Elephant Butte Lake is down significantly compared with previous irrigation seasons because of the region's prolonged, severe drought.

Water at the lake -- so popular for boating, fishing and swimming -- sits at less than 4 percent of water available to downstream users, including El Paso water customers and farmers, according to El Paso Water Utilities.

Martin Bartlett, spokesman for the utility, said recent photographs taken by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation show dramatic effects of drought on the lake. As a result, the water utility plans to shift away from relying heavily on the Rio Grande for the city's drinking water.

"El Paso Water Utilities plans to make up the difference by relying more heavily on well water," President and CEO John E. Balliew said. "We're preparing by drilling new wells and building new pipelines to more efficiently move that water around the city. "The bottom line is that we expect less river water again this year. For now, it's just too early to know how much less," Balliew said.

EDIT

http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_22524507/area-drought-leads-drop-elephant-butte-water-levels?source=most_emailed

http://www.usbr.gov/uc/elpaso/water/rgreports/faces/ElephantButteStorage.jsp