By DANNY GARCIA,
Chairman of the Cabresto Lake Irrigation Community Ditch Association

As the elected chairman of the Cabresto Lake Irrigation Community Ditch Association for more than 13 years, I believe my greatest responsibility is to protect every member’s water right tied to Surface Permit 00076 (SP00076), which carries a priority date of 1815. That right is not just a legal document—it represents the lifeblood of our farms, our land, and our community.

But protecting a water right also means protecting the water itself. What value is a water right if there is no water left to use?
Through reviewing records from the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer and monitoring the flow of Cabresto Creek, I have grown increasingly concerned that Cabresto Creek may soon be reduced to a trickle, no longer capable of sustaining irrigation for the lands historically served by this right.

The Village of Questa itself has recognized the importance of protecting our scarce water resources. In an amendment to its 1969 ordinance, the village stated that excavation of new water wells within village limits is disfavored because of their negative impact on regional water availability. That language reflects an understanding that groundwater pumping can affect the entire watershed.

At the same time, longstanding concerns remain regarding past water management practices. Records indicate that in the late 1980s and 1990s, the Village of Questa was notified of significant over-diversions. In response, village leadership attributed those overages largely to leakage within the municipal distribution system, asserting that lost water returned to the aquifer and eventually to the Red River and Rio Grande.

From our perspective, this highlights a troubling pattern: relying on leased water rights and explanations for losses instead of making infrastructure repairs and ensuring long-term conservation.

Water in northern New Mexico is too precious to waste. Senior water rights holders, farmers, acequia and ditch associations, and local governments all depend on responsible stewardship. If Cabresto Creek is allowed to decline beyond recovery, it will not only harm irrigators—it will damage a centuries-old agricultural tradition that has sustained families here for generations.

We urge all local leaders and agencies to prioritize transparency, conservation, and accountability so that future generations inherit not empty promises, but flowing water.