A newly formed citizens’ group that includes Guardians, called the Ad Hoc Coalition for a Living Santa Fe River, has called on the city of Santa Fe to restore its commitment to a living Santa Fe River. The group made its request in a letter submitted to Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber and city councillors on May 29.
In 2012, Santa Fe passed its Living River Ordinance, which recognized the river as one of the city’s key features and dedicated up to 1,000 acre-feet of water to flow through it each year. The coalition is concerned that the city is not upholding its commitment to the river, both in terms of letting water flow through the historic upper channel and releasing flood pulses in spring or late summer.
The coalition is also calling on the city to allow public participation in future water planning. This is of paramount importance because the city is already developing a pipeline that will send wastewater effluent to the Rio Grande, which could negatively affect water quality and result in less water flowing in the Santa Fe River and the Rio Grande.
Read the press release.
