The Rio Grande’s Driest Year on Record

The Rio Grande is having its driest year on record. In September, NPR and KUNM reported no water in the riverbed where it passes through Albuquerque, only the third time in 40 years. To keep the bosque’s century-old cottonwoods alive, conservationists and local agencies released about 650 million gallons of imported water from a reservoir into the river; one restoration leader warned the bosque could still lose around 30 percent of its trees by next year.

The warning signs came early. At the April meeting of the Rio Grande Compact Commission, officials from Colorado, New Mexico and Texas described one of the lowest snowpacks on record, the earliest melt ever observed, and key reservoirs below 15 percent of capacity. When the river thins, every community along it feels it, and the call to tend it together grows louder.

Sources: The Rio Grande is having its driest year on record (NPR via KAXE) · Facing drought and low snowpack, Rio Grande states expect a challenging year (Inside Climate News via Source NM) · Rio Grande faces early drying risk in 2026 (Western Water)