HOUSE MEMORIAL 42

48th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2007

INTRODUCED BY

Mimi Stewart

A MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE STATE ENGINEER TO EVALUATE AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS RELATING TO WATER DEVELOPMENT PLANNING AUTHORITY FOR MUNICIPALITIES, COUNTIES, SCHOOL DISTRICTS, STATE UNIVERSITIES, MEMBER-OWNED COMMUNITY WATER SYSTEMS, SPECIAL WATER USERS ASSOCIATIONS AND REGULATED PUBLIC WATER AND ELECTRIC UTILITIES.

     WHEREAS, the state of New Mexico wishes to conserve and preserve its water supplies for use by its residents; and

     WHEREAS, the state must consider implications of interstate commerce as it strives to preserve and protect its precious water supplies; and

     WHEREAS, it is recognized by the state of New Mexico that the public welfare of the state and conservation of water within the state are promoted by allowing municipalities, counties, school districts, state universities, member-owned community water systems, special water users associations and public utilities supplying water to municipalities or counties to acquire and hold water rights for a forty-year water development period, provided that they can show reasonably projected needs within forty years; and

     WHEREAS, it is recognized that the provision of water by all public water utilities that are regulated by the public regulation commission is essential to the public health and welfare and the conservation of water within the state; and

     WHEREAS, electric generation facilities, which use water as a part of the generation process, are essential to the public health and welfare of the residents of the state and need the ability to plan for additional generation facilities to provide power to future generations of New Mexico residents; and

     WHEREAS, there have been proposals to extend the forty-year planning period to a one-hundred-year period for water planning purposes for water used by municipalities and other entities; and

     WHEREAS, it is important to the planning for the future of New Mexico and its residents that the state engineer convene representative stakeholders to inform the state engineer of their unique water planning needs for the purpose of aiding the development of a set of recommendations to address the issues stated above;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that, in order to conserve, preserve and develop the state's precious water supplies to effectively plan for the future, the state engineer be requested to convene representative stakeholders for the purpose of informing and making recommendations to the state engineer relating to planning authority that should be allowed to municipalities, counties, school districts, state universities, member-owned community water systems, special water users associations and regulated water and electric public utilities; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that interstate commerce limitations on the state's ability to conserve the state's water supplies be included in the evaluation; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the state engineer report the state engineer's recommendations to the appropriate interim legislative committee by August 1, 2007; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the governor and the state engineer.

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