Water authority to get $7.7 million
Last updated 5/15/2021 at 5:03pm
SANTA FE The Eastern New Mexico Water Utility Authority is in line for a $7.7 million allocation from the New Mexico Water Trust Board.
According to an allocation sheet provide to The News by Rep. Randal Crowder, R-Clovis, the award will help the authority continue construction of its interim groundwater pipeline.
The authority is tasked to build and operate the Eastern New Mexico Rural Water System, which would deliver reserved water from the Ute Reservoir in Quay County to member communities in Curry and Roosevelt counties. The authority is currently building the local pipeline system, so that it may be used for distraction of locally-acquired water while the final connection to the reservoir is pending.
April 7, 2021
Barring lawsuits, decision on diversion group’s fate nears Written by Geoffrey Plant on April 7, 2021
A new state law that’s set to take effect July 1 requires the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission to consult with the New Mexico Water Trust Board before it allocates any of the $80 million remaining in the N.M. Unit Fund to eligible water projects in the four counties of Grant, Hidalgo, Catron and Luna.
That’s an advisory role that had belonged to the New Mexico Entity of the Central Arizona Project, and it’s one the Entity may be prepared to fight over.
Gov’s signature sidelines Gila diversion group Written by Geoffrey Plant on April 6, 2021
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed House Bill 200 into law Monday. Titled “Water Trust Board Projects and N.M. Unit Fund,” the law, which was passed by the Legislature during its regular session, assigns the advisory role over how $80 million reserved for water projects in southwest New Mexico is spent to the N.M. Water Trust Board, while simultaneously prohibiting the money from being spent on a Gila River diversion.
The New Mexico Entity of the Central Arizona Project, formed in 2015 to design, build and operate a series of diversions with which it intended to capture up 14,000 acre-feet of surface water annually under the terms of the 2004 federal Arizona Water Settlements Act, had tried in fits and starts to recast itself in the advisory role since the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission voted to defund its diversion project las
March 10, 2021
Most SWNM solons oppose bill to sideline diversion group Written by Geoffrey Plant on March 10, 2021
(Press Staff Photo by Geoffrey Plant)
Last month, District 38 state Rep. Rebecca Dow and District 39 state Rep. Luis Terrazas, both Republicans representing parts of Grant County, spoke against HB 200, “Water Trust Board Projects and N.M. Unit Fund,” ahead of a House vote on the legislation. The proposal seeks to sideline the New Mexico Entity of the Central Arizona Project from its proposed future role as a regional water authority and prohibit more Arizona Water Settlements Act funds from being spent on a Gila River diversion.
A total of 46 acres in Animas and Berg parks have been treated.
Hundres of native trees are being planted to replace the invasive species that were removed.
FARMINGTON If you haven t taken a stroll or walked your dog through Animas and Berg parks along the Animas River in Farmington over the last year, you re in for a surprise when you do you might not recognize the place.
A two-phase, fire hazard mitigation and invasive plant species removal project that began in March 2020 has had a dramatic effect, leading to the elimination of thousands of trees and greatly opening many of the park s views. Many areas that were overgrown with brush largely have been cleared, allowing native species to enjoy a better chance of survival and greatly reducing the chances of a catastrophic wildfire.