Chevron Water Rights Transfer

Dear Editor,
We saw our letter to the editor published in this month’s issue [May 2022], along with the follow-up remarks from Chevron. Your readers may also be interested in the statement below, regarding a meeting between the OSE, Village of Questa leadership, and Chevron that took place on March 30: State Engineer Hamman and Water Rights District 6 staff met with Village of Questa leadership, including then Mayor Gallegos and Mayor-elect Ortega, as well as representatives from Chevron, in Questa on March 30. Together, they set the stage for examining the Village’s entire water rights and water use plans with the intention of assisting the Village in meeting its goals, which may or may not include the specific water rights tied to the Chevron claims that are currently a pending matter before the State Engineer. During the meeting, the State Engineer and others recognized the unprecedented opportunity for the Village of Questa to pursue numerous funding opportunities at both the state and federal levels to address its water, wastewater, and other infrastructure needs. The Office of the State Engineer will continue to work with Village leadership to assist in assuring that it has a long-term water supply, backed by legal water rights and related return flow credits, to serve the Village’s current and future needs outlined in its 40-year water plan.

Maggie Fitzgerald,
Public Information Officer
New Mexico Office of the State Engineer

Thank you for the fantastic job your staff us doing! We especially appreciate your coverage of the Amalia and Costilla areas.

Arthur & Francisca Gallegos

OOPS! In last month’s QUiLT article, we failed to provide contact info,
sorry about that! Daniel RYNO Herrera:(575) 224-7386 dansautohondo@gmail.com
Todd Wynward: (575) 770-8681 toddwynward@gmail.com