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F I S C A L   I M P A C T   R E P O R T

 

 

SPONSOR:

Marquardt

 

DATE TYPED:

02/28/03

 

HB

HJM-94

 

SHORT TITLE:

Salt Flats Water Pipeline Feasibility Study

 

SB

 

 

 

ANALYST:

Chabot

 

APPROPRIATION

 

Appropriation Contained

Estimated Additional Impact

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY03

FY04

FY03

FY04

 

 

 

NFI

 

 

 

 

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

 

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

 

LFC Files

 

Responses Received From

Interstate Stream Commission (ISC)

Office of the State Engineer (OSE)

 

SUMMARY

 

     Synopsis of Bill

 

House Joint Memorial 94 resolves that ISC and the New Mexico Finance Authority study the feasibility of constructing a water transmission pipeline from the salt flats of Otero county to needy urban areas, such as Las Cruces, Carlsbad, Alamogordo and Roswell, instead of transferring irrigation water rights with resulting expensive litigation and construction of infrastructure to transport surface water from the Pecos River and Rio Grande.  It further resolves that ISC report findings to the Legislature by November 1, 2003.

 

     Significant Issues

 

According to ISC, a study has already been done on transporting water from the Salt Basin to other areas of the state where it could be used.  While “technically feasible…the estimated costs render the project economically unfavorable for the foreseeable future.”  ISC has filed three applications to appropriate 30,000 acre-feet annually from the Salt Basin to meet compact deliveries on the Pecos River, and for municipal, industrial and commercial purposes.  The agency states “an extension of the 2002 ISC study to include feasibility of supplying water from the Salt Basin to neighboring urban areas is a logical next step.”

GAC/njw