HOUSE MEMORIAL 33

46th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2004

INTRODUCED BY

Ben Lujan

A MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THAT THE SAN JUAN-CHAMA PROJECT, WATER CONTRACT BETWEEN THE CITY OF ESPANOLA, THE CITY AND COUNTY OF SANTA FE AND THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR BE CHANGED TO A REPAYMENT PERPETUAL AGREEMENT AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF ADDRESSING A MULTICOUNTY REGION.

     WHEREAS, by the act of congress approved June 13, 1962 (76 Stat. 96), congress approved the initial stage of the San Juan-Chama project, Colorado-New Mexico as a participating project of the Colorado river storage project; and

     WHEREAS, the San Juan-Chama project provides water to the multicounty region including Taos, Rio Arriba, Santa Fe, Sandoval, Bernalillo and Valencia counties as well as tribal governments, municipalities and other entities; and

     WHEREAS, the San Juan-Chama project is approved for furnishing water throughout the multicounty region for municipal, domestic and industrial uses and other beneficial purposes; and

     WHEREAS, the city of Espanola, located in Rio Arriba and Santa Fe counties, and the United States department of the interior entered into an agreement date February 16, 1978 whereby the city was allocated one thousand acre-feet per year of water from the San Juan-Chama project; and

     WHEREAS, the city and county of Santa Fe and the United States department of the interior entered into an agreement dated November 23, 1976 whereby the city and county were allocated five thousand six hundred five acre-feet of water from the San Juan-Chama project; and

     WHEREAS, the city of Espanola and the city and county of Santa Fe have utilized the project water to offset excess water usage from its municipal wells and intends to construct a water filtration facility utilizing project water; and

     WHEREAS, existing and future users of water within the city of Espanola and the city and county of Santa Fe are dependent upon a reliable, sustainable supply of protect water now and over the long term; and

     WHEREAS, the agreement between the city of Espanola and the United States department of the interior is due to expire on December 31, 2018; and

     WHEREAS, the agreement between the city and county of Santa Fe and the United States department of the interior is due to expire on December 31, 2016; and

     WHEREAS, other San Juan-Chama contractors, including the city of Albuquerque, the middle Rio Grande conservancy district, the Pojoaque valley irrigation district, the town of Bernalillo, the city of Belen and the town of Red River, all have repayment perpetual agreements; and

     WHEREAS, the Jicarilla Apache Nation and the Cochiti reservoir recreational pool have agreements that can only be terminated by an act of congress;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that it support, consistent with other regional agreements, the city of Espanola, the city and county of Santa Fe and all other entities that have or may have water service agreements with the United States department of the interior for San Juan-Chama project water allotments to have those water service agreements converted to repayment perpetual agreements; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be delivered to the secretary of the United States department of the interior and to the New Mexico congressional delegation.

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