Gary Esslinger, Elephant Butte Irrigation District
EBID employees-James Narvaez and Gary Esslinger inspect spring canal cleanup activities.
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lephant Butte Irrigation District (EBID) has stewarded the surface water of New Mexico’s portion of the Rio Grande Project for over 100 years. EBID services 6,700 farm members within 90,640 acres. As an essential business, EBID has had to find new ways to operate during the COVID‑19 pandemic. In this interview, EBID TreasurerManager Gary Esslinger tells Irrigation Leader about the challenges the district has faced and what it has changed in order to continue operations.
Gary Esslinger: I am the treasurer-manager of EBID and have been with the district for 40 years. I worked from
28 | IRRIGATION LEADER | JUNE 2020 - COVID-19 SPECIAL ISSUE
Irrigation Leader: How has the COVID‑19 pandemic affected your operation? Gary Esslinger: It’s been interesting. We’ve had to learn to do the same things that we’ve always done, but without the close working relationship that we usually have with the board of directors, staff, employees, and farmers. Meetings IRRIGATIONLEADERMAGAZINE.COM
PHOTOS COURTESY OF EBID.
Irrigation Leader: Please tell us about yourself and about EBID.
the bottom of the totem pole to the top and have been manager for 33 years. Our district has 90,640 acres within the Rio Grande Project in New Mexico, and we service 6,700 farm members with our 300 miles of canals and 600 miles of drains. We’ve been doing this for 100 years now, and we’ve been blessed to serve the farmers in the Rincon and Mesilla Valleys.
