Providing Federal Support for Comprehensive Planning to Protect Water Resources
Washington, DC – The House today passed the New Mexico Water Planning Assistance Act (H.R. 1904), sponsored by Congresswoman Heather Wilson, to help the state develop comprehensive plans to manage our most precious natural resource – water.
“Water is the lifeblood of the west,” Wilson said. “Like much of the West, the demands on New Mexico’s ground and fresh water resources are immense and growing. This federal support is important to help the state safeguard our most precious natural resource – water.”
Rep. Tom Udall, D-NM, is also an original cosponsor of H.R. 1904. The bill also passed the House last year in the 109th Congress with the support of the New Mexico delegation, and Senators Domenici and Bingaman have again introduced the companion bill in the U.S. Senate.
The legislation provides assistance and grants to develop a comprehensive water plans, conduct water resources mapping in New Mexico, and study groundwater resources in New Mexico to assess the amount and quality of groundwater and surface water resources, and how they interact.
Specifically, 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.
Background:
Chaco Canyon in northwestern New Mexico was the home to many indigenous southwestern peoples from A.D. 850 to 1250. Yet, the Chacoans ingenuity in storing and channeling water was not enough to save them from a 50-year drought that began in 1130. The Chacoan pueblo people left Chaco Canyon in stages and established a string of pueblos along the Rio Grande and a few other desert rivers.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, and state conservancy and irrigation districts flood control and reclamation projects along New Mexico's river systems that store water during wet years for use during dry years help ensure that New Mexico's current population will not have to relocate during extended periods of drought – like the Chacoans were forced to do more than eight centuries ago.
For example, the First Congressional District of New Mexico is bisected by the Rio Grande. 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.
New Mexico has an average allotment of 393,000 acre-feet of Rio Grande water under the 1938 interstate compact that apportions the Rio Grande between Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and Mexico. These demands have stretched this allotment to the limit. Further complicating the picture is the fact that Article VII of the Rio Grande Compact severely restricts New Mexico's ability to store native water up stream at Heron, Abiquiu, El Vado, or Cochiti Reservoir.
So far, New Mexico's water managers have been able to stretch New Mexico limited water supplies to meet the expanding demands of New Mexico cities, industries, Indian pueblos, and endangered species, without widespread displacement of its historical agriculture users. By providing federal water planning assistance to New Mexico's water managers this important legislation will help stretch New Mexico's limited water resources; and, as a result, will help prevent waters conflict in New Mexico well into the future.
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