The most important of New Mexico's rivers are the Rio Grande, Pecos, Canadian, San Juan, and Gila. The Rio Grande is the third longest river in the United States. It is also the state's main river. It crosses the the entire state from north to south.

The continental divide also crosses the state of New Mexico. A fold in the earth's surface, the continental divide separates the direction in which North Amreica's rivers flow. East of the divide rivers drain into the Atlantic Ocean. Rivers west of the divide drain into the Pacific Ocean.

Whether east or west of the continental divide, New Mexico's rivers have supported life for hundreds of years. They have provided water for irrigation. Irrigation is the artificial watering of crops. People have irrigated crops in the Rio Grande Valley for more than 400 years.

The rivers have allowed people to irrigate crops in the places otherwise too dry for farming. This has been most true for hundreds of years of people living along the Rio Grande. Besides river water there is one more important source of water in New Mexico. This source is ground water. Ground water is water under the ground that people pump to the surface.

New Mexicans today use much ground water. Indeed, they get more than half their water for irrigation from ground water sources. An underground lake called the Ogalala stretches from southern New Mexico all the way up to Nebraska. Much of the ground water is taken from this lake.

NM Land Surface	NM Water
NM Land	NM Animals
Lincoln County Conflict begins	Lincoln County War
Lawlessness continues in New Mexico	Home

You are visitor