‘Nobody wants to see the bosque destroyed': Neighbors voice concerns over Los Lunas project
LOS LUNAS, N.M. (KRQE) – A major project is underway on miles of the Rio Grande through Los Lunas with crews digging up and taking out parts of the river habitat. While water managers said it's partly for flood control, neighbors are worried about the environmental effect.
'One of the things we're really concerned about is the effect on the wildlife here, these big cottonwoods are homes to all kinds of migratory species,' said Guy Dicharry, a resident nearby. The concern is just north of Highway 6 in Los Lunas where the Bureau of Reclamation's River Mile 163 project is aimed at widening the Rio Grande. The Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District(MRGCD) supports it and said it should help with flood control and water flow.
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'The river is narrow, and the flood plain is narrow and so this creates constrictions on being able to move water, especially during higher spring runoffs,' said Jason Casuga. The MRGCD said efficient flow is important to meet New Mexico's water deliveries to Texas. 'New Mexico has a responsibility to deliver water to Elephant Butte for satisfying the compact,' said Casuga. Crews are widening the river by expanding levees, removing islands, and taking out cottonwood trees.
Neighbors said since the project started, they feel the changes go too far. 'What they explain to us originally was not going to lead to as much tree destruction as were seeing now and that what we want them to do is stick with that and not change something else,' said Dicharry. They also listed concerns about fire dangers from debris, species native to the habitat, and trees being marked are more than expected. They want to see the project stop fearing a negative environmental impact. 'I think the project could be done in a way that is much less impactful on the bosque environment, the wildlife, the trees,' said Barry Simons, another neighbor near the project.
While they hope crews might reconsider the ongoing project, the MRGCD said it's important to get the work done as this area of the Rio Grande has already led to more than a million dollars in levee repairs. 'This is what it means to manage the river and how we protect the values that we have on this river, nobody wants to see the bosque destroyed. In many instances this is how we prepare it for what the bosque will be in the future,' said Casuga. The Bureau of Reclamation did not return our calls about the project.
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