Contractors building border wall ordered to stop drilling wells in drought-stricken New Mexico

Key facts

Order: CBP instructed border wall contractors in New Mexico to stop drilling new wells.
Wells drilled without permits: Eight wells counted by New Mexico Office of the State Engineer, possibly more.
Pumping rate: Two wells visited in July were pumping 200 gallons per minute.
Rancher's concern: Russell Johnson said pumping could put ranchers out of business.
Location: Wells drilled on Roosevelt Reservation, a federally owned strip 60 miles north of the border.
Funding: Border barriers received over $46 billion in federal funding.

Background

The Trump administration has ordered construction crews on a border wall to stop drilling wells in drought-stricken New Mexico after ranchers said pumping groundwater needed to make concrete could threaten their livestock. The order comes as crews across the southern border race to complete one of President Donald Trump’s highest domestic priorities — barriers that span four states and received over $46 billion in federal funding.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which oversees border wall construction, has said water is needed to make concrete for roads, wall construction and dust suppression. Cattle ranchers in the area say the drought has already forced them to reduce their herd size.

The New Mexico Office of the State Engineer, which monitors and approves wells across the state, said staff have counted eight wells drilled without the office’s permission along the southern border, but cautioned there could be more. Staff visited two wells in July and reported they were pumping 200 gallons per minute.

Current situation

A spokesperson for CBP said on Monday that border wall contractors in New Mexico have been instructed to stop drilling new wells, but did not comment on whether the wells already drilled could be pumped. The agency said they would collaborate with New Mexico and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop a groundwater strategy.

“CBP is committed to working collaboratively with local landowners to ensure that construction activities do not adversely impact their water needs,” read the statement. The federal contractors building the wall in New Mexico — Caddell Construction Co. and Fisher Industries — did not respond to emails or phone calls seeking comment. Messages left with receptionists for Barnard Construction and Spencer Construction Co., the contractors building near Johnson’s ranch, were not immediately returned.

The wells for border construction were all drilled on a federally owned strip of land 60 miles north of the border called the Roosevelt Reservation. CBP did not respond to follow up questions about whether the federal government has a right to pump groundwater on federal land without state oversight.

Well pumping rates and herd reduction
Entity	Pumping rate (gallons per minute)	Herd size
Industrial well near Johnson's ranch	300	N/A
Two wells visited by state engineer	200	N/A
Johnson's ranch wells (range)	3-7	N/A
Johnson's herd (original capacity)	N/A	100%
Johnson's herd (current)	N/A	33%

Data from source; herd size expressed as percentage of original capacity.

Impacts

Cattle ranchers in the area say the drought has already forced them to reduce their herd size. 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. I mean, it could potentially put some people out of business, us included.”

Johnson raised the issue at a public meeting in July 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. Though beef prices are up, Johnson has been forced to reduce his herd to one third its original capacity. He cites the drought, which has left less grass for cattle to graze on, as the main reason for the drop.

Tom Patterson, president of the New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association, says water is the No. 1 concern for ranchers and that if wells start to go dry, it’s already too late. During wall construction in Trump’s first term, Patterson said, contractors bought water from farms, ranches, or municipalities in the area, which meant the amount of water being pumped from nearby basins didn’t increase during construction.

Future outlook

Scenario analysis: The possibilities below are not certain predictions.

Johnson said the moratorium on future well drilling is a step in the right direction, but he’s still worried after a contractor told him the well near his ranch could eventually be pumped if crews ended up needing the water. “They need to stop pumping all of these wells because they were all drilled illegally,” Johnson said.

Both candidates in the race for a congressional seat that represents this area in New Mexico claimed credit for the moratorium. Congressional candidate Greg Cunningham, a Republican, said he advocated for the agreement between CBP and border wall contractors and was the first to announce the news over social media on Friday. Congressman Gabe Vasquez, who faces Cunningham in November’s midterm elections, spoke about the issue on the House floor earlier this month.

If the moratorium holds and a groundwater strategy is developed, ranchers may see their water supply protected. However, if existing wells continue to be pumped, the threat to livestock could persist. The situation could also become a campaign issue in the midterm elections, with both candidates claiming credit.

Source: republicanherald.com

AMRIT EXPLAINER