New Mexico Acequia Association

Dear Governor Richardson:

I am writing on behalf of the New Mexico Acequia Association to ask for your consideration of acequia projects that have received Capital Outlay funds in recent years.  We are well aware of the budget shortfalls facing the state and are respectful of the difficult deliberations facing you and the legislature with regard to balancing the budget.

We implore you to please remember the significance of acequias to New Mexico and potential benefits of acequia projects to rural communities throughout the state.  Several of these projects are slated for completion before the 2010 growing season.  Others may need additional time but are making reasonable progress as well.  We recommend the following types of projects be exempt from any administrative freeze of capital outlay funds:

1. Acequia projects that are in progress and who have third-party contracts executed.
2. Acequia projects that are small in scale and self-constructed, i.e. without the services of a contractor.  Many of these appropriations cover the costs of materials, and labor in some cases.  Such projects are done in this manner because of their relative simplicity and because the services of a contractor are not necessary.
3. Acequia projects that have Work Agreements signed with the Interstate Stream Commission and have adequate funds to complete a specific phase of the project along with a specific timeline for completion.
4. Water storage projects that are in the design phase and can start construction in 2010 based on expedient completion of dam safety regulation requirements.  Dam projects that are held up in the Dam Safety Bureau regulatory process should not be penalized because of the delays that are the result of bureau inaction.
5. Any capital outlay funds that are an integral part of a state-federal cost share arrangement.  In some instances, state dollars are leveraged with federal dollars that are already committed to those projects.  State action to freeze those dollars will affect federal dollars coming into New Mexico.

Thank you for your consideration of our efforts to prevent loss of acequia funds.