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| Wilson, Domenici Welcome House Passage of NM Water Planning Act |
September 29, 2006 |
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| Bill Provides New Resources for NM Water Management
Washington, DC – Congresswoman Heather Wilson and U.S. Senator Pete Domenici today welcomed House passage late Wednesday of the New Mexico Water Planning Assistance Act (H.R. 1711), a bill which would bring the state of New Mexico and the federal government together to manage our water resources.
The House-passed bill was introduced on April 19, 2005. Senators Domenici and Jeff Bingaman introduced the companion legislation in the Senate on January 26, 2005.
“Water is the lifeblood of the west,” Wilson said. “New Mexico’s capacity for continued growth is directly tied to our water planning and management. Water is our most precious natural resource in New Mexico.”
“I am pleased to work with Congresswoman Wilson and Senator Bingaman to get this bill passed. Despite recent rainfall, our water situation is still precarious, so we need the best and most reliable information possible. This bill will bring federal agencies and the New Mexico State Engineer together to better evaluate and assess our water resources as our state makes decisions on water use and conservation efforts,” said Domenici, chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
The legislation directs the Secretary of the Interior to: (1) provide to New Mexico technical assistance and grants for the development of comprehensive State water plans; (2) conduct water resources mapping in New Mexico; and (3) conduct comprehensive studies of groundwater resources in New Mexico to assess the quantity, quality, and interaction of groundwater and surface water resources.
State Engineer John D`Antonio stated: “The federal funding provided by this bill will greatly benefit the state`s ability to more effectively manage the state`s water supply, meet the demands of our growing population, assist with our interstate compact delivery obligations and federal Endangered Species Act requirements while maximizing the state`s water supply for use by New Mexicans.”
Additionally, the legislation also directs the Secretary to allocate: (1) $5 million to develop hydrologic models of eight New Mexico river systems; (2) $2.5 million to complete the hydrologic models for the San Juan River and other Southwest New Mexico river systems; and (3) $4.5 million for statewide digital orthophotography mapping.
Like much of the West, the demands on New Mexico`s ground and fresh water resources are immense and growing. The flows of the Middle Rio Grande serve the biggest city in New Mexico, Albuquerque, many smaller cities, six Indian pueblos, and a network of agriculture users. Many of these farmers irrigate the same land as their Spanish ancestors did over 4 centuries ago. In addition there is the endangered silvery minnow, which, under a 2003 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Biological Opinion, requires 180 miles of continuous minimum river flow in the Middle Rio Grande.
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