SENATE MEMORIAL 41

51st legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2014

INTRODUCED BY

Pete Campos

A MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE OFFICE OF THE STATE ENGINEER, INTERSTATE STREAM COMMISSION AND REGIONAL STAKEHOLDERS TO STUDY OPTIONS FOR ADDRESSING WATER SUPPLY ISSUES IN NORTHEASTERN NEW MEXICO.

     WHEREAS, New Mexico is located in the great American southwestern desert; and

     WHEREAS, the effects of climate change, unpredictable weather patterns and water shortages threaten the economy and the public peace, health, safety and welfare, affecting New Mexico farmers, ranchers, city residents and rural residents alike; and

     WHEREAS, as of July 2013, the state was in its driest, and warmest, twenty-four-month or thirty-six-month period on record, with over eighty-six percent of the state experiencing extreme or exceptional drought conditions and with all reservoirs in the state below fifty percent capacity and some as low as thirteen percent; and

     WHEREAS, heavy rains in late summer eased drought conditions in much of the state, but reservoir levels in the Rio Grande basin remained much below average and thirty-six percent of the state was still experiencing severe drought conditions in December; and

     WHEREAS, weather patterns, such as those in 2013, further highlight the need to be able to store and transport water in particularly dry years; and

     WHEREAS, northeastern New Mexico, like all regions of the state, has been affected by these conditions; and

     WHEREAS, some areas of the state do not have the capability to store enough water to make the best of years with higher-than-average precipitation by storing water for use in years with below-average precipitation; and

     WHEREAS, large, regional projects that increase the ability to store and import water from other areas have proven to be a good approach to addressing water shortage issues, helping communities address some of their water shortage issues; and

     WHEREAS, large projects, such as the Ute water pipeline project and the Navajo-Gallup water supply project, have been planned for years but have only recently begun construction to help store water and import it to areas of the state that desperately need it; and

     WHEREAS, while large, regional water projects are a good approach to making the most of limited water resources and might be a good fit for a region like northeastern New Mexico, they do take years to develop, plan and construct;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the office of the state engineer, interstate stream commission and water stakeholders in northeastern New Mexico be requested to study ways of addressing water shortage issues in northeastern New Mexico, including identifying potential water sources outside of the region and the possibility of developing a pipeline or some other large-scale regional water project to bring water to the area; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the office of the state engineer, the interstate stream commission, the county commissioners of Guadalupe, San Miguel, Mora and Colfax counties and the cities of Raton, Las Vegas and Santa Rosa.

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