Resolution 2013 – 02
Requesting an inter-agency assessment of acequia infrastructure and
requesting the Water Trust Board make an annual needs-based allocation
from the Water Project Fund to the Acequia Project Fund
Whereas, in 2001, the New Mexico State Legislature established the Water Project Fund and the Water
Trust Board and charged the New Mexico Finance Authority with their administration,
Whereas, the Water Trust Board makes recommendations to Legislature for water projects to be funded
from the Water Project Fund,
Whereas, in 2004, the State Legislature also established the Acequia Project Fund, administered by the
New Mexico Finance Authority, for the purpose of funding acequia projects subject to approval of the
State Legislature,
Whereas, the Acequia Project Fund to date has not received any legislative appropriations but was
credited with a two hundred thousand donation ($200,000) from the Healy Foundation,
Whereas, the Water Trust Board has promulgated policies to govern the funding of acequia projects
from the Acequia Project Fund,
Whereas, policies that govern the allocation of funds from the Acequia Project Fund were based on the
initial donation of two hundred thousand ($200,000) and were intended to support the completion of
acequia engineering designs at an amount of twenty thousand ($20,000) per project,
Whereas, the Interstate Stream Commission has made recommendations to the Water Trust Board on
which acequia projects should receive funding in the amount of twenty thousand ($20,000) per acequia
for engineering design,
Whereas, with the expenditure of the original balance of $200,000, additional funds will be needed to
continue making grants from the Acequia Project Fund,
Whereas, the Acequia Committee of the Water Trust Board has made a recommendation for the Water
Trust Board to allocate $100,000 for the current fiscal year from the Water Project Fund to fund
additional acequia projects for engineering design costs,
Whereas, the expenditure on acequia projects addresses a critical need in the statewide acequia
community but the need for engineering design and construction remains high,
Whereas, the New Mexico Acequia Association compiled a list of acequia projects prior to the 2013
legislative session to demonstrate the extent of the need and based on the top priority from
Infrastructure Capital Improvement Plans and Capital Outlay requests, an estimated cost to meet
immediate needs was $10 million,
Whereas, although the 2013 list of projects is a useful start to assess statewide need, a more
comprehensive approach is needed to plan, estimate costs, and assemble funding requests for acequia
projects to various funding sources, including the Acequia Project Fund,
Therefore, be it resolved that the New Mexico Acequia Association proposes a collaboration involving
the Interstate Stream Commission, USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service, the New Mexico
Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts, the Water Trust Board, the New Mexico Acequia
Commission, and the New Mexico Acequia Association to conduct an ongoing statewide assessment of
acequia infrastructure,
Be it further resolved, that the acequia collaboration identify on an annual basis acequia projects that
need engineering design and/or construction funding and that a list be compiled to assist state agencies
to determine the extent of need and project readiness for purposes of prioritization for funding from
various sources including the Interstate Stream Commission 90-10 program, the Acequia Project Fund
affiliated with the Water Trust Board, and Capital Outlay from the New Mexico State Legislature,
Be it further resolved that the New Mexico Acequia Association requests that the Water Trust Board
during its next funding cycle use the statewide acequia assessment as a basis to determine an
appropriate needs-based allocation from the Water Project Fund to the Acequia Project Fund to fund
both engineering design and construction of acequia projects that meet the criteria of the Fund,
Be it further resolved that the New Mexico Acequia Association requests that the various agencies who
manage funds for acequia projects work together to identify opportunities to match and leverage
funding for acequia projects so that projects or functional phases of projects can be fully funded and
efficiently completed,
Be it further resolved that copies of this resolution be sent to the Interstate Stream Commission, the
Water Trust Board, the State Legislature, Governor Susana Martinez, Department of Finance and
Administration, and the New Mexico Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts.