State Engineer Elizabeth Anderson was appointed to lead the Office of the State Engineer on Aug. 20, 2024. (Danielle Prokop / Source NM)
As an engineer, wastewater operator, water planner and Bosque bicyclist, Elizabeth Anderson has been up close and personal with New Mexico’s water. Now, she’s overseeing all of it.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham appointed Anderson to lead the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer on Aug. 20, making her the first woman to hold the state’s principal water manager position.
In an interview with Source New Mexico , Anderson said water scarcity is posing the greatest challenges for the office.
“As we start finding ourselves in situations with less and less water with climate change, it’s more and more important that we make the most of what we have,” Anderson said.
Climate change is straining all parts of New Mexico’s water systems. From increased pumping drawing down aquifers in hotter weather to the gaunt rivers and streams struggling in higher heats, and fed by less snow . Pollution and contamination threaten remaining sources of water.
Water issues pose tough questions for lawmakers moving forward
Anderson is taking the helm as projects around water are receiving more state funding. Lujan Grisham has called for a half-billion investment in augmenting water supplies , and there are billions of dollars in unprecedented infrastructure money from the federal government.
In addition, Congress is moving on several New Mexico tribal water rights settlements , potentially offering billions of dollars to tribal nations and surrounding communities. Meanwhile, the Rio Grande case was ordered to continue its meander through the U.S. Supreme court.
‘Make the most of it for everybody’
In an Albuquerque conference room, framed by maps showing arroyos and wells across the state, Anderson said her priorities are emphasizing collaboration even as water becomes more scarce.
She wants to make the Office of the State Engineer more visible. saying “We’re going to need to do more metering, going to have to have more water masters in the field.”
As the State Engineer, Anderson is charged with ensuring New Mexico meets its interstream compacts with other states, but also is the regulating and permitting agency for water.
“I think, no matter what we do, we have to protect our water resources,” she said. “We need to do everything that we can to make sure that we have the water that we need for the state, and that we use it effectively.”Currently, the state is in the middle of revamping its regional water planning process , asking for public input on rules.
Anderson said regional planning offers the chance for communities to set the water values and increases the data needed to make good decisions.
“At the state level, what the legislature is looking forward to is understanding prioritized projects that need to be done in regions and programs, and how we get those into place,” she said.
Anderson pointed to efforts on tribal nation water settlements as successful cooperation. She said the examples of collaboration, such as all parties cutting back on water use during shortages and additional conservation, offers more tools to help with water.
She said they offer a key path forward.
“It’s just getting people together to make those hard decisions,” she said. “Because if the water’s not there, then you have to figure out what to do to make the most of it for everybody.”, and
There will be less water for New Mexicans, with scientists estimating that the state will lose 25% of water supplies due to climate change in the next 50 years.
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ABQ raised, working at home
Anderson grew up in Albuquerque, and attended the University of New Mexico for her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in water and environmental engineering.
She has worked with water for the past 25 years. Anderson was an engineering consultant on wastewater projects and a water operators leader in New Mexico and West Texas. She’s a level four water operator and a level three wastewater operator, meaning she’s trained in cleaning and treating sewage and drinking water.
“So I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty,” she joked to lawmakers.
Anderson managed engineering and construction at the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority, ending her career there as the Chief Planning Officer. In that role, she managed conservation, the education program and all engineering projects.
Anderson moves up from her top advisor role to the former State Engineer Mike Hamman, where she served for two years.
In an introduction to lawmakers during an August Water and Natural Resources interim committee meeting, Anderson said she would deliver on Lujan Grisham’s stated priorities, introduced the 50 year water plan .
“We must ensure that future generations of New Mexicans have a secure water supply, resilient watersheds and thriving local economies,” she told lawmakers.
Some of Anderson’s other priorities include advocating for New Mexicans in the Colorado and Rio Grande river basins. She said the state should strive to be a “good neighbor,” and that the office will work to meet New Mexicans’ needs.
Finally, she offered her vision on decision-making, saying resolutions start with the best available data and science, but also need collaboration and everyone at the table.
“I believe everyone’s voice deserves to be heard,” she told lawmakers at the meeting.
Anderson will require the Senate to confirm her as State Engineer in the upcoming 2025 legislative session.
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