An environmental group is protesting a water-rights transfer from a Socorro farm to the city of Santa Fe.

WildEarth Guardians is protesting an application to transfer 163 acre-feet of water owned by Vannetta Perry of Socorro and to stop irrigating 54 acres of land. Irrigation water rights are valuable to cities and housing developments that need the rights to use water within the Rio Grande basin.

When the rights are transferred, the irrigated farmlands are fallowed.

The city is continuing to purchase water rights to offset the impacts on the Rio Grande of past groundwater pumping at the municipality's Buckman well field near the river.

Brian Snyder, director of the city's water division, was unavailable for comment.

The group also is protesting a water-rights transfer application by Socorro Mayor Ravi Bhasker and his wife, Addy, to move 118 acre-feet of water from the Socorro Ditch to Santa Fe's Buckman well field.

WildEarth Guardians is protesting many water transfers from downstream to upstream users along the Rio Grande because moving the water rights could reduce river flows in the Middle Rio Grande. The group claims the transfers hurt existing downstream water rights and the river ecosystem.

"Transferring water from downstream irrigators to our state's growing municipalities is not a sustainable, long-term solution," said John Horning, executive director of WildEarth Guardians.

The group is among several that want to protect the in-stream flows of the Rio Grande. It has been raising money to purchase water rights specifically for the river.

Water rights increased substantially in value over the last decade, but the prices have stabilized, according to Albuquerque water broker Bill Turner. An acre-foot of water — equivalent to 325,851 gallons — is selling for $18,000 to $19,000 in the Santa Fe area. "Not many people are buying those water rights," Turner said.

In the middle Rio Grande, including Socorro, water-right prices range from $12,000 to $15,000 an acre-foot.

The most expensive water rights are near water-strapped Las Vegas, N.M. An acre-foot there is going for $20,000 to $30,000, Turner said.

Contact Staci Matlock at 986-3055 or smatlock@sfnewmexican.com.