EDGEWOOD

Patrick Milligan, a rancher by trade, has witnessed the trucks hauling water wend their way south across the parched landscape, advancing toward the lofty towers of the immense wind farms.

Against the backdrop of the wind energy boom in Central New Mexico, residents of East Mountain communities like Edgewood, where Milligan lives, and nearby Stanley are sounding the alarm, wondering whether the underground Estancia Basin, with a lowering water table, can continue to meet their needs amid increasing pressure from new development.

The anxiety stems from the concern water is being pumped and trucked out of the area for dust mitigation at construction sites for sprawling wind farms and a snaking 550-mile transmission line expected to come online in 2026 as part of the massive SunZi

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