CBP Orders Border-Wall Contractors to Stop Drilling Wells in New Mexico

Overview

• Customs and Border Protection told contractors to stop drilling new industrial wells in New Mexico, a move aimed at slowing further groundwater extraction while agencies plan next steps.
• The New Mexico Office of the State Engineer counted eight unpermitted wells along the southern border and inspected two in July that were pumping about 200 gallons per minute.
• Ranchers say heavy pumping threatens livestock and livelihoods because local domestic wells produce only three to seven gallons per minute and drought has already forced herd cuts.
• The wells were drilled on the federally owned Roosevelt Reservation, creating a legal dispute over whether federal construction can bypass New Mexico's permit rules and whether existing wells may be used.
• CBP says it is coordinating with the state and the U.S. Department of Agriculture on a broader groundwater-management strategy and has not said whether already drilled wells will be allowed to pump water.