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

SPONSOR Cisneros

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

1/17/2008

HB

SHORT TITLE NM Tech Aquifer Mapping

SB 2

ANALYST McOlash

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY08

FY09

$450.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Bill 2 appropriates $450,000 from the General Fund to the Board of Regents of New

Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology for expenditure in FY 2009 and subsequent fiscal

years for the Bureau of Geology and Mineral resources to conduct statewide aquifer mapping.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

Based on program history at NMTech, the appropriation of $450,000 contained in this bill is

identified as a recurring expense to the General Fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered

balance remaining at the end of a fiscal year shall not revert to the General Fund.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

Information on the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology website indicates that the

Bureau of Geology and Mineral resources has been engaged in hydrogeologic studies of New

Mexico’s aquifers in cooperation with partners at the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer

and the New Mexico Environment Department. Beginning in the mid-1990s with geologic

mapping and aquifer analysis in the Albuquerque Basin and a hydrogeology study in Placitas, the

Bureau has since developed an aquifer mapping program that applies a combination of geologic

geophysical, hydrologic, and geochemical information to develop descriptive models of

groundwater flow in important aquifers around the state.

Senate Bill 2 – Page

2

The objective of the aquifer mapping program is to provide critically needed information on the

“health" of the state’s groundwater resource. Baseline data gathered during the studies improve

the understanding of the geologic framework of aquifers, their hydrologic characteristics, water

levels in the aquifers and how they change over time, and the occurrence of natural contaminants

such as arsenic and uranium that affect the potability of groundwater.

Aquifer studies range in scope from short-term local projects to long-term, regional studies

engaging a variety of disciplines and collaborators. With initial support from the 2005 State

Legislature in the form of a $300,000 one-year appropriation, the program has been able to

complete some studies while continuing or starting others. Past efforts have completed or

contributed to studies in the Albuquerque Basin, Placitas, Estancia Basin, and the Taos Valley.

Results of a three-year study in the Española Basin are contributing to a collaborative effort by

Santa Fe County and the City of Santa Fe to build a regional groundwater flow model to assist

with resource administration and management. In 2005, a multi-year water-level monitoring

study began in the Roswell artesian basin, while studies in Arroyo Hondo north of Taos and the

Peñasco Valley were completed and a new hydrogeologic study was initiated in the southern

Sacramento Mountains, funded by the Otero County Soil and Water Conservation District with

funds allocated by the state legislature.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

NMTech provides administrative support for the Bureau of Geology and Mineral significant

additional impact is anticipated if this legislation is adopted.

BM/mt