Reduced to a trickle, river managers brace for more drying

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN
Associated Press

BERNALILLO, N.M. (AP) — With hotter and drier weather plaguing New Mexico, water managers are warning that more stretches of one of North America’s longest rivers will be drying up in the coming days. The Bureau of Reclamation will be releasing what supplemental water is left in upstream reservoirs along the Rio Grande. But some biologists aren’t sure it will be enough to make a difference for the endangered Rio Grande silvery minnow. Crews already have been rescuing stranded minnows and will continue as the river dries. Officials say summer rains are the only option now for boosting river flows, but the monsoon season has been spotty.