By CORMAC DODD
The Santa Fe New Mexican
New Mexico lawmakers could increase the annual funding pool for acequia infrastructure as communities with the traditional ditch systems, particularly in the northern part of the state, continue to grapple with the impacts of flooding and wildfires.
Senate Bill 193 would raise the annual amount that goes into a state fund for community irrigation ditches to $5 million from $2.5 million, giving acequia organizations a wider pot of state money to tackle a backlog of repairs and construction.
The bill moved through the Senate on a vote of 28-10 Tuesday, with Republican lawmakers casting votes against the measure, and passed the House Agriculture, Acequias And Water Resources Committee with ease Thursday.
“We irrigate over 5,000 acres and have about 7,000 members,” said Don Bustos — president of the Rio Quemado, Rio en Medio, Rio Frijoles and Rio Santa Cruz Acequia Association — during the committee meeting Thursday. “We strongly support this bill, and it’s not only to address the past catastrophes, but to get prepared for what’s going to happen in the future.”
“Without acequia support, we become the acequias of the past, which means we’re in a museum. We don’t exist anymore,” said Yolanda Jaramillo of the Embudo Valley Acequia Association.
The New Mexico Acequia Association reported last year at least 30 acequias in Northern New Mexico were heavily damaged after powerful rains and flooding hit communities in August. The damage included acequias in Rio Arriba, Santa Fe and Mora counties.
In rural Northern New Mexico, centuries-old acequias have been the lifeblood of agricultural communities for generations.
State Rep. Anita Gonzales, D-Las Vegas — who is cosponsoring the legislation with state Sen. Pete Campos, D-Las Vegas, and state Sen. Leo Jaramillo, D, Española — explained there is a rigorous process for organizations to apply for money from the fund.
The $2.5 million that would be allocated in Senate Bill 193 comes from the state’s Irrigation Works Construction Fund.
According to a bill analysis, the New Mexico Acequia Association estimates 700 acequias and community ditches in 23 counties have requested $62.4 million for damaged or aging acequias.
Those figures lay out a sizable funding gap, the analysis notes.
“This had been something that, I guess, had been overlooked for years and years, and the acequia people are trying to catch up with their infrastructure,” said Rep. Martin Zamora, R- Clovis, during the committee hearing. “I guess some day they might be modern acequias, instead of being something that has so much older infrastructure.”