Congresswoman Heather Wilson, First Congressional District of New Mexico
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| Water Planning |
April 27, 2007 |
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Dear Friends,
Over the past nine years we`ve done a lot of work on water management. It`s the kind of long term work that doesn`t get a lot of attention but is vital for our growing dry region bisected by the Rio Grande.
 We`ve secured federal funds to help extend the sewer systems in the north and south valleys to slow the contamination of ground water.
We`ve worked over a decade to develop and now implement a comprehensive plan for flood mitigation in the south valley where water pools after storms under the umbrella of the Corps of Engineers.
We`ve prevented water rights from being taken by the federal government without paying for them and provided funds to help with endangered species and watershed restoration projects like taking out salt cedar along the Rio Grande.
We`ve gotten federal funds to help communities like Bernalillo and Tijeras develop their water and waste water systems.
These are long-term multi-year efforts that take a lot of persistent work over time.
In the past few weeks I`ve introduced two bills recently to take the next steps in planning our water future.
The first one would provide federal assistance and grants to develop a comprehensive water plans, and conduct water resources mapping in New Mexico. The bill includes $5 million to develop hydrologic models of eight New Mexico river systems, $2.5 million to complete the hydrologic models for the San Juan River and other Southwest New Mexico river systems, and $4.5 million for statewide digital orthophotography mapping.
The second bill instructs the Department of the Interior, through the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to undertake a comprehensive groundwater resources study. Cooperating with the state of New Mexico, the effort will include surveys of groundwater resources, including a characterization of surface and bedrock geology, and the Salt Basin, Tularosa Basin, and middle Rio Grande Aquifer.
The last time the Geological Survey looked at ground water was in 2001 and they concluded we had a lot less water under Albuquerque than we thought. That led to changes in our water management strategies for the region.
Both Senators Domenici and Bingaman have introduced companion legislation in the Senate and I look forward to getting these bills passed into law.
Water is the life blood of the west and this is the kind of work that will make a difference in the long term.
Wish you were here,
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