SENATE CONSERVATION COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR

SENATE MEMORIAL 41

50th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2011

A MEMORIAL

REQUESTING CONGRESS TO REAUTHORIZE THE WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 2007, SECTION 5056, AND TO APPROPRIATE SUFFICIENT FUNDS TO INVESTIGATE AND ADDRESS SALINITY SOURCES AFFECTING WATER QUALITY IN THE PECOS RIVER.

     WHEREAS, the Pecos river is a tributary of the Rio Grande that flows between New Mexico and Texas; and

     WHEREAS, the Pecos river is known for its naturally high salinity, but as human needs and environmental concerns relating to the river continue to increase, the adverse economic and environmental impacts of the river's naturally high salinity have become a much greater issue; and

     WHEREAS, much of the natural salinity in the Pecos river enters the river in localized areas where geologic brines from ancient salt-bearing formations naturally discharge to the surface, which presents an opportunity for engineered solutions to intercept such brines before they enter the Pecos river; and

     WHEREAS, the Pecos River Compact between Texas and New Mexico provides that "New Mexico and Texas shall cooperate with agencies of the United States to devise and effectuate means of alleviating the salinity conditions of the Pecos river"; and

     WHEREAS, congress began that process by enacting Section 729 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1986 and by developing a program in Section 5056 of the Water Resources Development Act of 2007 that directs the secretary of the army to rehabilitate and enhance fish and wildlife habitats and to implement long-term monitoring, data collection and analysis, applied research and adaptive management within the Rio Grande basin; and

     WHEREAS, a successful technical program to identify salinity sources and potential remedies on the Rio Grande in the New Mexico-Texas border region has been underway since 2008, under Section 729 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1986; and

     WHEREAS, it is imperative that funding and continuing authority for Section 5056 of the Water Resources Development Act of 2007, which is set to expire in 2011, be reenacted so that efforts to address salinity issues in the Rio Grande and its tributaries can continue;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that congress be requested to reauthorize Section 5056 of the Water Resources Development Act of 2007 and to appropriate sufficient funds to carry out work related to that legislation; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the president of the United States, the speaker of the United States house of representatives, the president of the United States senate and the members of the New Mexico congressional delegation.

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