- Title: Drought-hit town hopes for Virgin Galactic launch payoff
- Date: 9th July 2021
- Summary: ELEPHANT BUTTE, NEW MEXICO, UNITED STATES (JULY 9, 2021) (REUTERS) DRONE SHOT SHOWING WATER LINE ON ROCKS (MUTE) DRONE SHOT SHOWING BOAT IN WATER / MARINA IN BACKGROUND (MUTE) DRONE SHOT SHOWING KAYAKERS IN WATER / MARINE IN BACKGROUND (MUTE) VARIOUS OF PHIL KING, ENGINEERING CONSULTANT TO ELEPHANT BUTTE IRRIGATION DISTRICT, TAKING PICTURES OF ELEPHANT BUTTE (SOUNDBITE) (English) PHIL KING, ENGINEERING CONSULTANT TO ELEPHANT BUTTE IRRIGATION DISTRICT, SAYING: "If you see the high-water mark all the way around the river, it looks like a bath-tub ring. The top of that is the high-water mark that was last reached in about 1995 and that's about 140 feet above the current water surface. So that's how far down we are." DRONE SHOT SHOWING WATER (MUTE) DRONE SHOT SHOWING WATER / ROCKS WITH WATER LINES / BOATS IN BACKGROUND (MUTE) DRONE SHOT SHOWING SHORELINE (MUTE) DRONE SHOT SHOWING SHALLOW WATERS / ABOVE GROUND LAND (MUTE) (SOUNDBITE) (English) PHIL KING, ENGINEERING CONSULTANT TO ELEPHANT BUTTE IRRIGATION DISTRICT, SAYING: "A drought is a cyclical thing where you go through dry periods and you go through wet periods. And the way you get out of drought is the water supply comes back and you get back up to normal conditions. I think unfortunately, due to the climate change, the way we're going to get out of this drought is not that we're getting wetter, but we redefine normal as something more like this." ELEPHANT BUTTE DAM SIGNAGE FOR ELEPHANT BUTTE DAM DAM AND RESERVOIR MARINA BOAT IN WATER NEAR ROCKS WITH WATER LINES (SOUNDBITE) (English) PHIL KING, ENGINEERING CONSULTANT TO ELEPHANT BUTTE IRRIGATION DISTRICT, SAYING: "We'll see how many people how up for this launch on Sunday, is it? But I'll tell you that on a Fourth of July weekend or a Memorial Day weekend, we can have 100,000 people show up here and I don't anticipate that that would happen for a launch." TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES, NEW MEXICO, UNITED STATES (JULY 9, 2021) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF SPACEPORT AMERICA VISITOR CENTER BRUCE SWINGLE, TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES CITY MANAGER, WALKING DOWN HALLWAY (SOUNDBITE) (English) BRUCE SWINGLE, TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES CITY MANAGER, SAYING: "I think the community is ecstatic, I think the state is ecstatic, and I think the entire country should be. This is real pioneering stuff, opening up the heavens to the entire world. What an awesome opportunity." ROOM AT SPACEPORT AMERICA VISITOR CENTER VARIOUS OF ROCKET ON DISPLAY VARIOUS OF SIGNAGE FOR ROCKET INN (SOUNDBITE) (English) VAL WILKES, OWNER OF ROCKET INN, WITH PARTNER CYDNEY, SAYING: "Oh yes, very excited. We want to go out there and see the launch. We went out a few days ago and saw the rocket on the runway and that was cool. We've also been inside The Spaceport, all over the hanger and all over the building." ROCKET GUM-BALL MACHINE (SOUNDBITE) (English) VAL WILKES, OWNER OF ROCKET INN, WITH PARTNER CYDNEY, SAYING: "However, honestly, I think they just sidelined Truth or Consequences, as far as letting people know that we're here and that we have hotels. And you can come and stay here for a month in a hotel and you're just down the road from the Spaceport. It's less than an hour from here." VARIOUS OF SPACE TOYS ON COUNTER ELEPHANT BUTTE, NEW MEXICO, UNITED STATES (JULY 9, 2021) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF WATER IN ELEPHANT BUTTE RESERVOIR VARIOUS OF NEAL BROWN, PRESIDENT OF LAGO RICO INC, AT THE WHEEL (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEAL BROWN, PRESIDENT OF LAGO RICO INC, SAYING: "There's no guarantee. We don't know when they'll come back. And that's the whole idea. If you're driving down the road, you don't know where the next gas station is, you want to make sure you have some gas in your tank. It's the same with the lake. We don't know when the next big rainfall will be, next big snow runoff will be." ROCKS WITH WATER LINES BIRD IN WATER VARIOUS OF FISHERMAN ON BOAT (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEAL BROWN, PRESIDENT OF LAGO RICO INC, SAYING: "At this point if it goes as low as they're predicting, I would have to have closed the marina. I wouldn't be able to float in it, but I don't anticipate it getting as low as what they originally forecast." SUN OVER LAND EDGE OF WATER MORE OF RESERVOIR (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEAL BROWN, PRESIDENT OF LAGO RICO INC, SAYING: "I'm optimistic that things will turn around because they always have. The lake has never gone dry and stayed dry, so I'm optimistic it'll come back again." VARIOUS OF MOTORBOAT AT DOCK PAN FROM DOCK TO MARINA VARIOUS OF MARINA
- Embargoed: 24th July 2021 00:40
- Keywords: Truth or Consequences Virgin Galactic drought launch low water levels
- Location: TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES AND ELEPHANT BUTTE, NEW MEXICO, UNITED STATES
- City: TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES AND ELEPHANT BUTTE, NEW MEXICO, UNITED STATES
- Country: USA
- Topics: Science,Space Exploration,United States
- Reuters ID: LVA001EL4EWJR
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: As the first passenger rocket plane gears up for takeoff, a sleepy desert town near Spaceport America in New Mexico is hoping for a liftoff from tourism.
The oddly named town of Truth or Consequences, 30 miles from the launchpad, relies on its hot springs, healing waters, and nearby Elephant Butte reservoir for its livelihood.
But tourism has evaporated both with the pandemic and the drought, which brought the reservoir's water level toward the lowest in years. Residents of TorC, as they call it, are looking skyward for relief.
"This is real pioneering stuff, opening up the heavens to the entire world," said town manager Bruce Swingle, who is organizing a watch party for Sunday's (July 11) launch of Virgin Galactic's space tourism flight.
The town never expected the "lion's share" of revenue from activities around Spaceport America, but rather a steady stream that would grow alongside the launch facility, he added.
When Val Wilkes and her partner Cydney bought a motor lodge a decade ago, they named it the Rocket Inn.
"[We're] very excited. We want to go out there and see the launch," Val said.
Motel bookings have improved as pandemic curbs have eased, and will keep rising throughout the town, she said. Las Cruces about 80 miles south, with its direct route to Spaceport, will have little impact, she added.
What Val hopes will come will be better publicity for the town.
"However, honestly, I think they just sidelined Truth or Consequences, as far as letting people know that we're here and that we have hotels," she said, adding that the town is closer to Spaceport than any others.
One thing that has not been rising is the reservoir, originally built for the agricultural industry, but has become a major draw for tourism in the town of 5,800.
Built from 1911 to 1916, the Elephant Butte reservoir was once 44 miles long and 11 miles across. However, after years of drought, the man-made lake is now an estimated 18-20 miles long and 5 miles across.
Rings around the edges show where the water once rested, including where the reservoir last peaked in 1995.
"That's about 140 feet above the current water surface. So that's how far down we are," said Phil King, an engineering consultant for the Elephant Butte Irrigation District (EBID).
Monsoons will bring some water, which the district will store in the empty drains that can seep into the groundwater, refilling the aquifer, EBID officials have said.
But that may not be enough to keep boats afloat on the reservoir much longer. Water levels have dropped so much this season that marina owner Neal Brown has had to move his floating docks to deeper waters, an expensive and labor-intensive job.
As of Friday, the reservoir currently was holding 137,000 acre-feet of water, which is about 7% of its capacity, according to multiple sources. A spokesperson for the Bureau of Reclamation said the water level could reach less than 1% of capacity by the second week of August.
Brown worries that if the water levels continue to drop, it will be harder for both the community and the ecosystem to recover.
"If it goes as low as they're predicting, I would have to close the marina. I wouldn't be able to float in it," he said, adding that the state needs to do a better job managing the waterflows that begin in Colorado and come down through New Mexico via the Rio Grande. A drought plan with a minimum pool level is also needed, Brown added.
Meanwhile, the city - which renamed itself after a radio and TV quiz show in 1950 - hopes it can turn toward Spaceport to make up for any losses in water tourism, though King is not optimistic.
"We'll see how many people how up for this launch," he said. "But I'll tell you that on a Fourth of July weekend or a Memorial Day weekend, we can have 100,000 people show up here and I don't anticipate that that would happen for a launch."
(Production: Nathan Frandino) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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