Construction crews building a border wall in New Mexico were ordered to stop drilling new wells after ranchers said that pumping groundwater to produce concrete could threaten their livestock amid a severe drought.
At a public meeting in July, ranchers said they were noticing unmonitored tapping of border aquifers that threatened the water for those nearby. Russell Johnson, a cattle rancher whose property runs along the border, said it “would put us in an immediate catastrophe and having to do something with our livestock. It could potentially put some people out of business, us included.”
Johnson raised the issue after noticing an industrial well, which drilling crews told him would pump 300 gallons a minute, on land he leases for grazing. Johnson has roughly 12 wells across his ranch, which pump between three and seven gallons a minute.
“Whatever they do on that well affects everybody in this basin,” one rancher said in the meeting. He added that, from his conversation with border patrol, he believed that “they really don’t even understand what an aquifer is.”
The Order
A spokesperson for Customs and Border Protection told the Associated Press on Monday that border wall contractors in New Mexico have been instructed to stop drilling new wells.
“CBP is committed to working collaboratively with local landowners to ensure that construction activities do not adversely impact their water needs,” CBP said in a statement.
Previously, CBP, which oversees border wall construction, has said water is needed to produce concrete, build roads, construct barriers, and control dust at construction sites.
The Legal Issue
New Mexico’s Office of the State Engineer, which monitors and approves wells across the state, told NPR last month it counted at least six wells under development along the border — and that none had the necessary permits required by state law. The office cautioned there could be more.
Staff visited two wells in July and reported they were pumping 200 gallons per minute.
“All non-tribal wells in New Mexico, whether they are drilled on state or federal land, must have permits from the state engineer before they can be drilled or water can be pumped from them,” the office said in a statement.
The Bigger Picture
The order comes as crews across the southern border race to complete one of Trump’s highest domestic priorities — barriers that span four states and received over $46 billion in federal funding. Controversies have sprouted up in Texas and California, and border-town residents and environmentalists have reported a wide variety of issues with construction.
In drought-hit New Mexico, water is scarce. Ranchers and farmers depend on aquifers that are being depleted. The border wall construction has added new pressure to an already strained resource.
The Bottom Line
New Mexico officials have ordered border wall contractors to stop drilling new wells after ranchers warned that pumping groundwater for concrete production threatens their livestock amid a severe drought. The state engineer’s office said the wells lacked required permits. Customs and Border Protection said it is committed to working with landowners to avoid impacting their water needs.
