The Water Information Program

Gov. Bill Richardson said Thursday he'll consider
proposing a statutory protection for the Gila River in southwestern New
Mexico to block the construction of dams or water diversion projects on
what he calls the "state's last free-flowing river." The Gila has been named as one of the nation's most endangered rivers by American Rivers, a conservation group. The
biggest threat to the river, according to the group, is the potential
for a diversion project that would draw water out of the Gila, store it
in an off-stream reservoir and transport it over the Continental Divide
to provide municipal water supplies for growth and development in the
Silver City area or elsewhere. A state water official says no diversion
project has been proposed for the river, however. The Gila is
New Mexico's only "mainstem" river, such as the Rio Grande, San Juan
and Pecos, without a major water development project such as a
reservoir.

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