Border wall groundwater pumping halted after New Mexico rancher complaints

Drought already forced New Mexico ranchers to reduce herd size

U.S. Customs and Border Protection ordered construction crews on a border wall to stop drilling wells in drought-stricken New Mexico after cattle ranchers said pumping groundwater needed to make concrete could threaten their livestock, the Associated Press reported.

The drought has already forced ranchers in the area to reduce their herd size, according to the AP.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has said water is needed to make concrete for roads, wall construction and dust suppression.

The order to halt the well drilling came as border wall construction continues across four states — Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas — with over $46 billion in federal funding, the AP reported. In Texas and California, border-town residents and environmentalists have reported a variety of issues with construction, according to the AP.