Child advocacy group lines up against Gila diversion

The next major water project in New Mexico could be diverting the last free-flowing river in New Mexico, the Gila River. Middle Fork of the Gila River.  New Mexico Voices for Children became the latest group to criticize the diversion, saying the amount of money spent on it could better be spent in other ways in the state, citing a potential $1 billion cost. The cost of a diversion plan are highly debated. Some say that it would cost $330 million, others that it would cost $1 billion. “Water is a precious resource, but there are better, smarter and more cost-effective ways of meeting the state’s water needs,” Veronica C. García, Ed.D., executive director of the child advocacy group, said in a statement on Thursday. “Our children are also a precious resource, but we continue to allow them to rank at the bottom of the nation in well-being. That is unacceptable.”...more