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

SPONSOR Sanchez, M.

DATE TYPED 03-04-05 HB

SHORT TITLE Rio Grande Water Model Info System

SB 965

ANALYST Woods

APPROPRIATION

Appropriation Contained Estimated Additional Impact Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY05

FY06

FY05

FY06

$80.0

Recurring General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Relates to the appropriation for New Mexico State University in the General Appropriations Act.

Relates to HB1066

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

New Mexico Environment Department (NMED)

New Mexico Commission on Higher Education (CHE)

Interstate Stream Commission (ISC)

New Mexico Department of Agriculture (NMDA)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Bill 965 – Making an Appropriation to Acquire and Maintain a Geographic Information

System to Enhance the Middle Rio Grande Collaborative Water Model – appropriates $80,000

from the general fund to the Board of Regents of New Mexico State University for expenditure

in FY06 to acquire a geographic information system for the Valencia Soil and Water Conserva-

tion District for geospatial visualization, hosting and data maintenance to enhance the Middle

Rio Grande Water Assembly's collaborative water model. Any unexpended or unencumbered

balance remaining at the end of FY06 shall revert to the general fund.

Significant Issues

NMDA indicates that this initiative builds upon a dynamic water model created for the Middle

Rio Grande Water Assembly to develop a 50-year plan. This funding would allow for expansion

Senate Bill 965 -- Page 2

of the model by adding a geographic information system (GIS) interface to the simulations. The

GIS interface would allow for a graphical view of results and changes to simulated water and

land use scenarios in the Middle Rio Grande region.

CHE notes that this expansion request was not in the list of priority projects submitted by NMSU

to the commission for review. Consequently, this request was not included in the commission’s

funding recommendation for FY06.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $80,000 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general fund.

Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY06 shall revert to the gen-

eral fund.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

New Mexico State University will retain oversight of this program.

CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP OR RELATIONSHIP

Relates to the appropriation for New Mexico State University in the General Appropriations Act.

Relates to HB1066 in that HB1066 seeks to appropriate $3,000,000 from the general fund to the

Office of the State Engineer for expenditure in FY06 to improve water conservation, efficiency

and management of the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District.

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

The ISC suggests that the water model developed for use by the Assembly is a planning model

that was used to assist with the evaluation of various water management alternatives during for-

mulation of the Middle Rio Grande Regional Water Plan. A GIS cannot be linked in an efficient

or useful way to that type of model. Further, ISC observes that the legislation is duplicative or

redundant of current GIS database development within the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy Dis-

trict which has already cataloged water related information within the valley portion of the area

covered by the Valencia Soil and Water Conservation District. In addition, other agencies – such

as the New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute and the U.S. Natural Resources Conser-

vation Service – also have robust GIS systems covering this area.

BFW/lg