Drought causing drastic impacts

State Parks Director Dave Simon has managed to find a positive side to the dwindling water supply at Elephant Butte Reservoir. “The fishing is great,” Simon said Monday during the opening day of the 2004 New Mexico Drought Summit. “We have the same number of fish but only half the water, so they’re real easy to catch.” But for Gerald LaFont, owner of the Elephant Butte Inn, there is nothing positive at all about the ongoing drought and its impact on the reservoir. LaFont said 18 businesses in the community of Elephant Butte have gone out of business, and he blames the drought for much of that. “When the water’s up, business is up,” LaFont said. “When the water’s down, business is down.”....