HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 49

47th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2005

INTRODUCED BY

Ben Lujan

A JOINT 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, on June 13, 1962 (76 Stat. 96), congress approved the initial stage of the San Juan-Chama project, with Colorado and New Mexico as participants in the Colorado river storage project; and

     WHEREAS, the San Juan-Chama project provides water to a multicounty region, including Taos, Rio Arriba, Santa Fe, Sandoval, Bernalillo and Valencia counties, as well as to 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, dated February 16, 1978, whereby the city was allocated one thousand acre-feet of water per year 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 their municipal wells and intend 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 project 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 LEGISLATURE 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 contract 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 members of the New Mexico congressional delegation.

- 3 -