In July 2018, the Associated Press, in a version carried by the Santa Fe New Mexican, reported on New Mexico's draft state water plan, released in early July by the state's senior water managers. The plan is revised every five years. It recommended keeping groundwater in reserve for droughts, having communities agree in advance on how to share scarce supplies, and examining options such as desalination whatever the cost. Among the projects it featured was the Ute pipeline, meant to relieve the Ogallala aquifer by drawing on Ute Reservoir.
The report showed that in 2018 desalination entered New Mexico's state water planning as an option to be examined, alongside groundwater reserves and sharing agreements, in response to persistent drought.
Source: Associated Press via Santa Fe New Mexican (Kopie im Webarchiv)