providing partner-based solutions to conservation challenges Navigation

providing partner-based solutions to conservation challenges

  • About Us
    • About PLJV
    • Our Landscape
    • Bird Habitats
    • Management Board
    • Our Team
    • Jobs
    • Contact Us
  • Grasslands
    • About Grasslands
    • Woody Plant Encroachment
    • Grassland Goals
    • Conservation Strategies
  • Playas
    • About Playas
    • How Playas Work
    • Groundwater Recharge
    • Water for Communities
    • Playa Science
    • Playa Goals
    • Playa Maps and Tools
    • Playa Restoration Guide
    • Renewable Energy Tools
  • Wetlands
    • About Wetlands
    • Wetland Goals
  • Resources
    • Bird Data
    • Conservation Planning
    • Habitat Conservation
    • Playa Science
    • Playa Maps and Tools
    • Renewable Energy Tools
    • Capacity Grant Program
    • NAWCA Grants
  • News
    • News Stories
    • Videos
    • Podcasts
    • Playa Post Newsletter
  • Search
  • About Us
    • About PLJV
    • Our Landscape
    • Bird Habitats
    • Management Board
    • Our Team
    • Jobs
    • Contact Us
  • Grasslands
    • About Grasslands
    • Woody Plant Encroachment
    • Grassland Goals
    • Conservation Strategies
  • Playas
    • About Playas
    • How Playas Work
    • Groundwater Recharge
    • Water for Communities
    • Playa Science
    • Playa Goals
    • Playa Maps and Tools
    • Playa Restoration Guide
    • Renewable Energy Tools
  • Wetlands
    • About Wetlands
    • Wetland Goals
  • Resources
    • Bird Data
    • Conservation Planning
    • Habitat Conservation
    • Playa Science
    • Playa Maps and Tools
    • Renewable Energy Tools
    • Capacity Grant Program
    • NAWCA Grants
  • News
    • News Stories
    • Videos
    • Podcasts
    • Playa Post Newsletter
  • Search

News

Home News City of Clovis and PLJV Join Forces to Provide Municipal Water

City of Clovis and PLJV Join Forces to Provide Municipal Water

June 27, 2018 Playas, Partnerships, Water Sustainability, New Mexico

On Tuesday, June 19, the City of Clovis and Playa Lakes Joint Venture (PLJV) formalized their partnership with a joint resolution to provide public education about the significance of playas to groundwater recharge and wildlife habitat and to restore playas in Curry County, New Mexico, so they can better provide those benefits. The resolution was signed by City Mayor David Lansford and PLJV Management Board Chairman Dan Snodgrass.

“Playas play an important role in aquifer recharge, and the City’s partnership with Playa Lakes Joint Venture will greatly assist with our water conservation efforts as we continue to implement the City’s Master Water Assurance Plan,” stated Mayor Lansford. “I am excited the City of Clovis is partnering with PLJV to encourage playa restoration and education regarding the importance of playas in our area.”

“Having grown up in the southern High Plains, about 115 miles from Clovis, I understand the importance of the Ogallala Aquifer to communities—for drinking water, for industry, and for agriculture,” said Snodgrass during his remarks. “Playa Lakes Joint Venture is very proud to partner with the City of Clovis in this effort and look forward to a long, successful partnership.”

Playas are a primary source of groundwater recharge and can be an important part of a sustainable approach to securing water for communities in the western Great Plains. For the past two years, PLJV has been working with the City of Clovis to develop a playa conservation model that helps support municipal water needs while providing needed habitat for migratory birds. That model is currently being piloted in Curry County as a diverse group of organizations and individuals have come together to proactively address a declining municipal water supply by restoring their part of the Ogallala Aquifer through playa restoration and conservation, reduced use of irrigation-based agriculture, and better surface water management.

A year ago, the partners launched the collaborative effort with a field day to tour playas in close proximity to Clovis and discuss playa restoration needs and opportunities. After the tour, the group talked about how to prioritize restoration activities to meet the various goals of the partnership, which include managing playas for recharge, wildlife habitat, and stormwater management or water retention benefits. In December 2017, Clovis adopted a Master Water Assurance Plan which includes recapturing surface water for Ogallala Aquifer recharge. The city is seeking to increase the recharge potential of its owned playas located closest to current or future water supplies by removing the sediment of those playas.

To help fund outreach and restoration efforts, PLJV received a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Resilient Communities grant for $250,000. Local outreach and education began in May 2018 with the first playa restoration workshop, attended by 10 landowners and 13 representatives from various city and agency partners.

PLJV has also begun reaching out to other communities to discuss how this model can help them prepare for a sustainable water future by cooperatively working to restore playas. Within the Joint Venture’s six-state region, there are nearly 150 towns and cities, similar to Clovis, that are experiencing declining availability of groundwater and have a number of playas surrounding the community.

“Our partnership with Clovis is one of the most gratifying conservation partnerships I’ve been involved in during my time with the Joint Venture,” said PLJV Coordinator Mike Carter. “The Joint Venture partners look forward to exporting this model and working with other communities in the western Great Plains that can benefit from including playa restoration in their plan for a sustainable water future.”

Dive Deeper

  • How Playas Work
  • New Mexico Playa Restoration Work Expands
  • Clovis Looks to Playas to Help Supply Municipal Water
  • Tomorrow’s Water: Connecting People, Playas & the Ogallala Across Generations
  • Playas Work for New Mexico

Contact Us

Playa Lakes Joint Venture is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization (EIN 84-1623284).

PO Box 957 Erie, CO 80516


Send Message
© 2023 Playa Lakes Joint Venture
Website By Skyhound Internet

Subscribe to the playa post

Get regular updates, stories about conservation, tools to help with conservation planning , and information about events, grants and more. Issues come out about every 8 weeks.

SUBSCRIBE NOW
PWFK
PlayasWorkForNM
TxPCI_Light_Logo

Playa Lakes Joint Venture
We are a regional partnership of federal and state wildlife agencies, conservation groups and private industry dedicated to conserving bird habitat throughout the western Great Plains — including portions of Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. We provide science-based planning, decision support, and communication and outreach tools to help our partners become more efficient and effective at delivering on-the-ground conservation. Learn more about us.

Mailing Address
PO Box 957
Erie, CO 80516
Phone
303-926-0777
Email
Contact Form
Toggle the Widgetbar