Rio Grande: Most Water Since 1995

The Rio Grande looked more like a creek than a river in this view taken in New Mexico in 2002.

Heavy winter and spring precipitation in Colorado and New Mexico is having a positive trickle-down effect for Texas residents who depend on Rio Grande water.

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation estimates that this year's runoff into the Rio Grande will be 162 percent of normal. That's the most since 1995.

Consequently, this spring the agency predicted a full water supply for irrigation this summer. The last two years, Rio Grande Project water users were allocated 34 percent to 38 percent of a full supply.

Still, the Elephant Butte Irrigation District and the El Paso County Water Improvement District Number One are responding to the news cautiously. The districts are talking about withholding their full allotments and leaving some water behind the Elephant Butte dam in New Mexico for next year.

--AP