SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 18

52nd legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2015

INTRODUCED BY

Carlos R. Cisneros and Paul C. Bandy

A JOINT MEMORIAL

RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF ACEQUIAS TO NEW MEXICO'S CULTURE AND ECONOMY AND REQUESTING THE NEW MEXICO LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TO ASSIGN THE APPROPRIATE INTERIM COMMITTEE TO DEDICATE ONE OR MORE DAYS IN THE INTERIM TO ADDRESS ACEQUIA ISSUES.

     WHEREAS, the cultural landscape of New Mexico has been shaped by hundreds of acequias that have sustained families and communities for centuries by serving as the basis for local food production and water governance; and

     WHEREAS, acequias embody the fundamental principle that water is life, and they continue to operate under basic principles that have guided them for millennia, including the concepts of local self-governance, attachment of water to place and community and sharing scarce water through local customs known as the repartimiento; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico is a place of chronic water scarcity and is facing unprecedented demands for water to support continued growth and development; and

     WHEREAS, a prevalent assumption is that water rights to support growth will come as a result of water transfers out of agriculture to urban and commercial development; and

     WHEREAS, acequias and agricultural communities are economically disadvantaged and are likely to experience a net loss of water rights from their communities as wealthier individuals, entities and regions acquire water rights from a position of greater economic power; and

     WHEREAS, as a result of regional water planning efforts, projections based on current trends include estimates of a net loss of agriculture of between thirty percent and sixty percent in certain regions in the next forty years; and

     WHEREAS, in recent years, the legislature has expressed support for acequias by enacting various laws that strengthen acequia governance, including recognition of regulatory authority over water transfers, establishment of acequia water banking and strengthening of acequia enforcement powers regarding easements; and

     WHEREAS, the acequia commission was established by statute in 1993 and serves as a facilitator for communication between local acequia and community ditch organizations, including the New Mexico acequia association, and the state and federal governments; reviews plans and legislation that may affect acequias and community ditch associations; and advises and assists the governor, legislature, state engineer, interstate stream commission and United States army corps of engineers on those issues; and

     WHEREAS, the legislative interim committee process is one of the few avenues by which the acequia commission and acequia associations have an opportunity to address and educate legislators on issues affecting acequias and community ditches;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the New Mexico legislative council be requested to direct the appropriate interim committee dealing with land grant issues or water and natural resource issues to dedicate one or more meeting days solely to issues affecting acequia and community ditch associations; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the acequia commission be requested to prioritize the issues that need to be addressed in the forthcoming interim and work with regional and state acequia associations in developing those priorities; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the co-chairs of the New Mexico legislative council, the acequia commission, the state engineer, the interstate stream commission, the land grant council and the office of the governor.

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