State News:

• • • • • • Agreement recognizes tribal water rights, establishes alternative priority administration

SANTA FE – Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Ohkay Owingeh Governor Larry Phillips, Jr., announced the signing of the Indian Water Rights Settlement for the Rio Chama stream system. After decades of litigation, the settlement resolves the Pueblo’s water rights claims on the Rio Chama.

It provides the means for the Pueblo and Acequias to share water in times of shortage in the Rio Chama stream system instead of priority administration. The settlement enables the Pueblo to restore the bosque on its lands, a critical cultural resource. Also, it provides substantial federal and state funding to improve water delivery systems and restore the bosque.

“Resolving the outstanding water rights claims of the Pueblos, Tribes and Nations in New Mexico is critical to moving our state toward greater equity and water security,” Gov. Lujan Grisham said. “I urge Congress to act quickly to advance this agreement through the Senate and House to deliver another win for everyone involved.”

“This is a historic settlement for Ohkay Owingeh,” Ohkay Owingeh Governor Larry Phillips, Jr. said. “It provides the water we need now and, in the future, to continue on our path to self-sufficiency. It will give us the means to restore the bosque, or riparian corridors, along our rivers, which are important to our culture. The settlement will enable us to join our acequia neighbors to share water in times of shortage. The settlement provides many benefits to water users throughout the Rio Chama Basin. We will exercise our sovereignty to manage our water to ensure this sacred resource will be available for future generations.”

“This agreement settles a long-standing water dispute before the court and provides certainty for the Pueblo, acequias, and surrounding communities regarding their water future to better cope with persistent drought and the effects of the changing climate,” State Engineer Mike Hamman said. “I commend all the parties for their commitment to collaboration and mutual benefit.”

“This essential settlement on the Rio Chama provides the framework for Ohkay Owingeh and the most historic acequias in New Mexico to continue their traditional practice of water sharing,” said Darel Madrid, Rio de Chama Acequia Association. “Together with the Pueblo, and the support of the State of New Mexico, the United States, and all our fellow acequias in the Rio Chama basin, we will move forward with the legal, technical, and financial resources needed to adapt to a declining supply.”

“The City of Española is pleased that the Aragon water rights litigation, which was originally filed in 1969 to resolve water rights claims on the Rio Chama, is being settled with the cooperation of our Ohkay Owingeh and acequia neighbors,” said John Ramon Vigil, Mayor, City of Española. “The settlement eliminates long and costly litigation with uncertain outcomes, and the funding to be received by the City will provide the City with additional wells to further enhance the City’s long-term water security.”

“This is a significant settlement for the Pueblo, acéquias and all other water users on the Rio Chama,” said Antonio Manzanares, President, Asociación de Acéquias Norteñas de Rio Arriba. “The Asociación de Acéquias Norteñas de Rio Arriba is comprised of 19 acéquias irrigating 8,000 acres in the upper Chama stream system. The settlement embraces longstanding practices of water sharing for historic and traditional irrigation and provides financial resources to deal with declining supply. We appreciate the Pueblo’s commitment to water sharing and look forward to implementing this critical agreement.”

“The El Rito Ditch Association has voted to approve the Ohkay Owingeh Rio Chama Water Rights Settlement,” said President El Rito Ditch Association Steve Gallegos. “The Settlement protects the water rights of the parciantes who are members of the El Rito Ditch Association from possible priority calls by Ohkay Owingeh while also providing funds to the Association for improvements to the El Rito Ditch infrastructure that will help stretch very scarce and valuable water resources for all.”

Ohkay Owingeh, the Office of the State Engineer, along with other signatory parties, will seek federal legislation in Congress to approve and fund the settlement and authorize the Secretary of the Interior to sign the settlement agreement on behalf of the United States. The parties will also seek state legislation to provide state funding for the non-Pueblo parties and changes in state law necessary to implement the agreement.

About the Office of the State Engineer

The Office of the State Engineer is charged with administering the state’s water resources. The State Engineer has power over the supervision, measurement, appropriation, and distribution of all surface and groundwater in New Mexico, including streams and rivers that cross state boundaries. The State Engineer is also Secretary of the Interstate Stream Commission.

About the Interstate Stream Commission

The nine-member Interstate Stream Commission is charged with separate duties including protecting New Mexico’s right to water under eight interstate stream compacts, ensuring the state complies with each of those compacts as well as investigating, conserving and protecting the waters of the State, in addition to water planning. https://www.ose.state.nm.us