New Mexico is confronted with escalating water scarcity issues exacerbated by climate change and other factors, posing significant challenges to its water security. This scarcity is projected to worsen in the coming decades. In response to these pressing concerns, New Mexico adopted the 2023 Water Security Planning Act. Brendle Group collaborated with the State of New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission to 1) gather input on water planning processes, priorities, and needs and 2) support the development and promulgation of new rules and guidelines within the Water Security Planning Act that will define how the State completes regional water planning. This effort is housed under Main Stream New Mexico.

Brendle Group’s approach involved facilitating a series of 16 open houses and an online open house, complemented by GIS mapping. These initiatives are geared towards soliciting input from a diverse array of stakeholders on water planning processes, priorities, and needs to build a resilient water future.

Open House in Espanola, NM

Open House in Espanola, NM

The open houses were thoughtfully designed to provide attendees with the opportunity to contribute to water planning processes through a series of five interactive stations in both English and Spanish. Similarly, the online open house mirrored the in-person experience, allowing respondents to provide input at their convenience. Both opportunities served to educate participants on existing water planning mechanisms in New Mexico and encourage them to envision novel approaches for the future. To enrich the public engagement process, Brendle Group also developed a StoryMap to explain each concepts and enable users to explore options.

Upon the conclusion of stakeholder engagement, Brendle Group developed an engagement summary report, interactive data dashboard, and recommendations report. The recommendations report encapsulates considerations for the development of rules and guidelines that are grounded in broad stakeholder engagement, representative of diverse perspectives, and partnered with qualitative information on minority opinions, areas of conflict, and justification for recommendations. This project will inform the development and promulgation of a new ruleset and guidelines under the Water Security Planning Act.