The present water code, established before statehood, embraced tribal uses and community acequias (ditches). New Mexico law has five basic tenets: All the water in the state belongs to the public. Only those with water rights may legally use water, and those rights are considered private property.

No water shall be diverted or exported from any portion of the Great Lakes within the United States, or from any tributary within the United States of any of the Great Lakes, for use outside the Great Lakes basin unless such diversion or export is approved by the Governor of each of the Great Lake [1] States.

Anyone wanting to use water in New Mexico must have a permit from the State Engineer that can be obtained by contacting your local District Office. To facilitate speedier service, it is always recommended that you call the District Office closest to you to make an appointment.

eight states
Managing the Great Lakes This massive system touches eight states (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York), two Canadian provinces (Ontario and Quebec, if you include the St. Lawrence Seaway), and many tribal, county, and city jurisdictions.

New Mexico relies on both groundwater and surface water sources, but about 87 percent of New Mexico’s public water supply comes from ground water. New Mexico also has long periods of drought and inconsistent precipitation, so relying on surface water can lead to shortages as well.

Senior rights have an earlier priority date and claimants who hold them have a higher priority to divert water from a stream or water body than those with more junior rights.

The water in the Great Lakes is owned by the general public according to the Public Trust Doctrine. The Public Trust Doctrine is an international legal theory – it applies in both Canada and the United States, so it applies to the entirety of the Great Lakes.

Half-Lie #2 – Companies are pumping millions of gallons of water out of the Great Lakes and selling it to China. Companies can collect and bottle water in the Great Lakes region but only in containers of 5.7 gallons or less. However, the water collection is not directly from the lakes but the aquifers in the region.

Checking out the water rights—How do you determine whether they’re “real”? Surface water rights developed before 1907 do not need a permit, nor do groundwater rights developed before the State Engineer declared and took jurisdiction over the particular groundwater basin where the wells are located.

New Mexico relies on both groundwater and surface water sources, but about 87 percent of New Mexico’s public water supply comes from ground water. No other southwestern state gets such a large percentage of its domestic water from groundwater sources.

The Great Lakes Region spans Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Coverage of New York and Pennsylvania is shared between NOAA’s Great Lakes and North Atlantic Regions.

Water Rights in New Mexico State law governs the appropriation of water in New Mexico (NM). A private citizen in the state does not own water, but has the right to use water. In the state, a water right is a property right.

New Mexico Lakes, Rivers and Water Resources New Mexico Rivers Shown on the Map: Canadian River, Cimarron River, Corrizo Creek, Gallinas River, Gila River, Mora River, Pecos River, Rio Chama, Rio Grande, Rio Hondo, Rio Penasco, Rio Puerco, Rio Salado, Rio San Jose, San Francisco River, San Juan River, Ute Creek and Vermejo River.

NMWRRS provides on-line access to OSE water right files including digitized water right documents and downloadable reports. NMWRRS works best with Microsoft Internet Explorer; however, you will need to follow Step 1 for all browsers. Step 2: If using Internet Explorer, ensure that the” Compatibility View ” feature is turned on.

The United States Geological Survey has a system that will send you an email message when flood levels are reached on any steam with USGS gaging equipment that you have selected. Sign up here to recieve New Mexico stream and river level alerts.