Protect the Rio Grande – revive America’s Great River
A River Stretched Beyond Its Means
The Rio’s pulse is dwindling for a variety of reasons. People take more water from the river than the river has to give, something that archaic water law continues to allow. Dams and other infrastructure, meant to stretch water supplies further, inhibit the river’s snowmelt-driven spring flows. And climate change spells disaster for the Rio and those who depend on it.
Studying and restoring the Rio’s flows; tearing down dams and other obstacles that sabotage these flows; and rethinking water storage will help to revive America’s Great River. The Rio has no time to lose.
What We’re Doing
Let It Flow
Restoring flows to the Rio Grande
We are advocating for a long-overdue study of flows necessary to protect landscapes, geology, recreational opportunities, and fish habitat in the Rio Grande gorge from the Colorado-New Mexico state line through Taos. Read our vision.
Tear It Down
Remove or modify dams and other obstacles to flow
We are litigating to ensure that unnecessary infrastructure—including dams, levees, and other man-made obstacles—does not prevent large-scale restoration of the Rio and its vast floodplain in the Tiffany Basin south of Socorro, New Mexico. Read the release.
Rethinking the Rio
Reconsider water storage in the river
In a recent report, we found that 50,000 acre-feet (in a dry year) and 85,000 acre-feet (in an average year) of water could be conserved if the water stored in the river’s low-elevation reservoirs was instead stored upstream. This would provide significant flexibility to connect river flows when the river needs water the most. Read the report.
How You Can Help
Help revive and restore rivers and all the species that depend on them! Be a guardian for rivers by joining the conversation, learning about current issues, and making your voice heard. Together, we're a powerful force for nature.
Rio Grande Waterkeeper
A purposeful partnership between WildEarth Guardians and Waterkeeper Alliance, Rio Grande Waterkeeper protects and restores flows in the iconic Rio Grande to ensure life is sustained throughout the Basin for generations to come.
WildEarth Guardians
WildEarth Guardians works to protect and restore the wildlife, wild places, wild rivers, and health of the American West.
Waterkeeper Alliance
Waterkeeper Alliance and its member organizations work to protect swimmable, drinkable, and fishable waterways throughout the world.
Recent Stories From Rivers
Beckoning the Beavers
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve thought beavers were worthy of my admiration. Sadly, beavers have been eradicated from literally tens of thousands of miles of streams and small rivers—the victims of both trapping and habitat degradation.
Why the Rio Grande’s flows matter
The Rio Grande, America’s Great River, is running out of water. That’s a major cause for concern for a number of reasons.
Rivers Press
A Child of Drought: On Climate Resilience, Community, and Love
It feels strange to say it, but I am a child of drought. Not drought in any kind of metaphorical sense. Drought in the literal description, as defined by Merriam-Webster: a period of dryness, especially when prolonged. Perhaps this is the price of reveling in the beauty of the desert southwest.
Read more >Wolves at the Well: The Corporate Grab of Public Water
Water is critical to maintaining the balance of all life on Earth. As humans go, the United Nations estimates that each person needs about 50 to 100 liters a day for drinking and washing. It must be safe, accessible, and affordable.
Read more >
info@wildearthguardians.org | © 2020 WildEarth Guardians | Historical Archives | Privacy Policy | Log In
