Rio Grande Faces Critical Water Shortage Threatening Millions of Residents

The Rio Grande, stretching from Colorado to the Gulf of Mexico, now provides water to roughly 15 million people but has lost about 85 percent of its historic flow due to overuse and extended drought. New Mexico’s Office of the State Engineer reported that more than 112 miles of the river dried up this summer, with current flows at roughly 31 percent of median levels and August flows at about 14 percent. Reservoirs such as Elephant Butte are at record lows, and projections for Texas indicate future shortages that could exceed the capacity of its largest reservoir.

Experts link the depletion to climate-driven drought, rising temperatures, and a shift toward year-round irrigated agriculture that now consumes 87 percent of water in the basin. State officials are exploring measures like water-conservation plans, brackish-water treatment, and stricter groundwater use limits to mitigate the looming crisis.