New Mexico attorney general accuses landowners of preventing public access to the Pecos River

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN
Associated Press

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico’s top prosecutor is going after landowners who he says are illegally and unconstitutionally depriving the public of access to the Pecos River. It’s the first case to be brought since the state Supreme Court in 2022 settled a long-simmering dispute over whether boaters and anglers had a right to access streams and rivers that cross private property. Under the New Mexico Constitution, water within the state belongs to the public but the banks beside the water and under it may be owned privately. Attorney General Raúl Torrez says the landowners have threatened people who have been using waterways adjacent to their property.