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Water comes from a relatively non renewable source in Luna County, the Mimbres Aquifer. To be good stewards of our water we first must know where our water comes from and how much supply we have access to. Then the question is, who is consuming how much water? The major consumers of water in the Mimbres Basin include the following entities:*
Agriculture
Mining Companies
Municipalities
Luna Energy Facility (Power Plant)
Rural Domestic Wells
We also have to take a good look at who is currently doing what to reduce water usage in all sectors. These include our County, Cities, as well as the Deming Soil and Water Conservation District, NRCS, USDA, Deming OSE, New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission, (Others?).
Last, do we want to brainstorm how to ensure the long term sustainability of our water, a precious and limited resource? Please use the QR Code to the right to take a quick survey, give some insight and/or volunteer to join a community council.
*The numbers here are a minimum usage as many of the wells are legacy with paper filings that are not entered into the OSE data-base. In addition, Mexico, specifically the farms south of Palomas, also draws from the Mimbres aquifer -- with no legal limitations or monitoring in place.
Water Use Per Office of the State Engineer, 2020 (Note the Luna Energy Facility has paper records showing consumption of about 2,500 AF/year which begs the question, what else did not get reported? Therefore think of this report as showing a minimum amount of use.)
Early History & Background
FARM SUBSIDIES
Farm subsidies enable failing farms to keep going. In Luna County it's interesting to note that about 215 registered farms and ranches consume 92% of our water annually yet only contribute .3% in gross receipts taxes. In fact, instead of contributing to our tax base, from 1995 - 2024 they have accepted over $88 million of our tax dollars for "disaster" and other farm subsidies. Yes, they have a right to run a business but do they really have a right to get our tax dollars year after year for a failed business? This might be a good place to cut waste.
Would you rather you taxes go to the poor or to wealthy farmers? Lobbyists are proposing increasing Farm Subsidies and reducing SNAP benefits. "Farm subsidy recipients qualify for payments if their annual adjusted gross income is below $900,000 a person... ". "By contrast, anti-hunger assistance programs are subject to much stricter income and asset tests, and low-income people remain on SNAP benefits for an average of just 12 months. Thompson’s framework would prevent the USDA from increasing SNAP benefits, claiming his plan would hold the USDA “accountable to the generosity of the American taxpayers.”
Luna County Farm Subsidies, by USDA Program
Luna County USDA Farm Subsidies, by Owner
Luna County Livestock Disaster Subsidies, (Top 20 over 30 years.)
City of Deming (Needs more research)
Deming 40 Year Water Plan, 2009
City of Deming Water Conservation Plan, 2020
Deming Alternative Water Source (Audobon, 2018)
Deming Well Water Depth Measurements, 2024
Deming New Well Request
(1,000' w/20" casing 10 miles outside of town) (Why?)
Mining (Needs More Research)
American Magnesium (AM), Proposed Mine in The Florida Mountains
BLM Stipulations for AM, 2022
Bureau of Land Management ordered to review plan for mine outside Deming, 2024
NOTE: Even though AM's lead, Carol Ness, said in a recent Deming Republican Party meeting that there are no road blocks to moving forward with mining operations, in September, 2004 a New Mexico federal district judge halted operations and ruled the BLM was "capricious"... The judge wrote that the federal government did not have a proposal for “storage, control or disposal” for more than 2,300 tons of magnesium sludge – one of the waste products from mining. The sludge contains toxic materials which pose a threat to surface water and underground aquifers, according to citations in the order.
"In an Aug. 27 order, Judge James Browning found the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) failed to determine how waste from a future magnesium milling operation might impact the area’s water quality... In sum, the BLM acted arbitrarily and capriciously in failing to take a hard look at the water quality impacts related to the Mining Project’s processing mill,” Browning wrote. "
Like US Magnesium, references below, American Magnesium has a history of ignoring the law. They have to be watched closely. We can't trust them to protect our water quality.
Cited and fined for exploring outside of their approved operational boundary.
US Magnesium mine under EPA scrutiny
US Magnesium Air Pollution Release & EPA Notice of Violation, 2023
Luna County Gross Receipts by Industry (2025)
NM Agriculture Statistics, 2022
Ranchers & Farmers, USDA Census
USDA 2024 Luna County Farm Costs & Water Usage by Crop
Farm Census by County of Irrigated Lands, 2012 & 2017
Farm Census by County of Irrigated Lands, 2017 & 2022
Water Conservation Data Jam Dataset Luna County:
Luna County Well Data
OSE POD Database. (Download August 13, 2025. Filtered on the Mimbres Basin
with various pivot tables in the tabs at the bottom of the workbook.)
OSE POD Database Data Dictionary
Deming & Columbus OSE Well Guidelines
Artesian Planning Area and Wells
OSE Map, POD (Points of Diversion) Well Locations
ESRI Luna County Resources Map (Created by Mary Meade, Retired Data Analyst)
Trans-national Water Withdrawals. (MS CoPilot AI Summary)
While precise, up-to-date figures on Mexican agricultural withdrawals from the Mimbres Basin are hard to pin down publicly, here’s what we do know from regional studies and hydrologic modeling:
🇲🇽 Mexican Agricultural Use in the Mimbres Basin
🔍 Key Findings from Recent Studies
Groundwater withdrawals for irrigation are the primary source of aquifer discharge in the southern Mimbres Basin — including the portion that extends into Mexico.
Water-level declines of up to 80 feet have been observed south of Deming and into northern Chihuahua, especially in areas of intensive irrigation between Deming and Columbus.
These cones of depression have expanded into Mexico, suggesting significant agricultural pumping on the Mexican side.
📉 Trends Over Time
From 1980 to 2020, the closed depression near Columbus deepened and expanded southward, indicating increased withdrawals across the border.
The last 10 years have seen accelerated water-level declines near the U.S.–Mexico border, coinciding with increased irrigated acreage.
🧮 Estimated Magnitude (Contextual)
While exact volumes aren't published, we can infer:
If U.S. agricultural withdrawals in the Mimbres Basin are estimated at tens of thousands of acre-feet/year (~100,000 af - 2022), Mexican withdrawals in the southern portion may be comparable or slightly lower, depending on crop types, irrigation methods, and aquifer access.
🌎 Why It Matters
The Mimbres is a transboundary aquifer, but no formal binational agreement governs its use — unlike the Rio Grande or Colorado River.
This makes local monitoring, data sharing, and cooperative management essential for long-term sustainability.
The Luna Power Facility
This facility has used an average of two (2) million gallons of water a day for the past 3 years.
Meade Briefing presented to the Deming Land and Soil Conservation District April 2025,
Power plant profile: Luna Energy Facility, US
Power Plant Scope of Work, 2003
Plant Water Usage January 2025 (NOTE: The total diversion should be identified as Kgal.)
Water Usage 2006 - 2024 (Transcribed from records on file at the Deming OSE)
Luna Energy Facility 600 MW Combined Cycle Power Plant (2006 construction company marketing)
New Luna Energy Facility Now Delivering Power to TEP 2006 Announcement by Tucson Electric Power.
"Ownership of the new facility is split equally among TEP, Phelps Dodge Energy Services, a subsidiary of Phelps Dodge Corp. and PNM, a New Mexico utility and subsidiary of PNM Resources. The three companies paid a total of $40 million to purchase the unfinished plant from Duke Energy in November 2004. Together, they spent about $100 million to complete construction and purchase necessary inventory items. TEP met its $47 million share of those costs with internally generated cash, issuing no new debt or equity for the project. The plant also relies on recycled wastewater to reduce its use of fresh water."
Additional Resources:
Soil and Water Conservation District Mission
NM 50 Year Water Action Plan (August, 2025)
New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission:
State Level Water Planning - New Rule Input Request
"OBJECTIVE: The objective of this rule is to establish a framework for regional water security planning councils to develop, maintain, and aid in implementation and tracking of regional water security plans. This framework will be grounded in regional values, scientific consensus, and New Mexico water law. The processes outlined in this rule are intended to: ensure that the plans will be based on the best available science, data, and models regarding available water supplies, use, and trends; provide transparency and opportunities for meaningful input and participation by the public and Nations, Pueblos, and Tribes within each regional water security planning region; acknowledge the sovereignty, water rights, and water needs of tribal communities; consider public welfare and the needs of future generations of New Mexicans; align with state and federal laws; and identify and prioritize projects, programs, and policies that will help to ensure water security into the future."
The Rule Proposes establishing Regional Water Security Planning Councils comprised of the below members.
(As of 9/11/25)
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