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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR Lujan

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

2-6-06 HB 846

SHORT TITLE Acequia and Community Ditch Fund

SB

ANALYST Woods

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY06

FY07

$200.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Relates to HB121, HB495, HB635, HB665, SB191, SB377, SB706

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Office of the State Engineer-Interstate Stream Commission (OSE)

Department of Finance and Administration (DFA)

REVENUE (dollars in thousands)

Estimated Revenue

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY06

FY07

FY08

$200.0

Recurring

Acequias &

Community

Ditch Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

House Bill 846 – Page

2

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 846 seeks to appropriate $200,000 from the general fund to the Acequia and Commu-

nity Ditch Fund for expenditure in fiscal years 2007 and subsequent fiscal years to carry out the

purposes of the Acequia and Community Ditch Fund Act. Any unexpended or unencumbered

balance remaining at the end of a fiscal year shall not revert to the general fund.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

The Office of the State Engineer-Interstate Stream Commission (OSE) indicates that in 1988, the

Legislature created the acequia and community ditch fund to provide assistance to community

ditches and acequias for expenses incurred during water-right adjudication suits. The fund is

available for historical studies, economic impact reports, expert witness fees, legal fees and other

technical services related to the adjudication process.

Completion of water-right adjudications is a priority for the State of New Mexico, and providing

funding for acequias and community ditches to accurately define and defend their water rights

will speed the adjudication process.

CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP OR RELATIONSHIP

OSE indicates that this legislation is related to several bills that include funding for acequias and

community ditches:

•

HB121 and SB377 provide $44M for “acequia and dam safety improvements

statewide”

•

HB495 provides $475K for acequia education, technical assistance and planning

•

HB635 provides $250K for “archival and ethnographic research on acequias to

be incorporated into New Mexico history courses in the public schools.”

•

HB665 provides $130K for “operations of the Acequia Commission”.

•

SB191 provides $250K for “acequia technical assistance.”

•

SB706 provides $250K for the “acequia rehabilitation and restoration fund”

BW/yr