Photo: mrjn Photography | Unsplash
Many things have changed in three centuries for Placitas village in New Mexico's Sandia Mountains. But one thing hasn't - shared access to water based around hand-dug and gravity-fed irrigation ditches called acequias. As drought and economic development ramp up pressure on the state's 640 acequias, their ancient community-driven approach to water management is more threatened but also more valuable than ever. You learn from an acequia how to work together, to care for the water, to deal with moving water across the landscape together, says Paula Garcia of the New Mexico Acequia Association. She says a resurgence of interest, from infrastructure improvements like Placitas' electronic meters, to court battles to protect water rights, to a program teaching younger generations about acequia management and culture, shows that the ancient technology is well-placed to help New Mexico navigate a drier, thirstier future.
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