In mid-December, State Senator Roberto “Bobby” Gonzales hosted the New Mexico Water Policy Summit at Buffalo Mountain Thunder Casino. The event, which drew over 200 participants, was in part sponsored by the Questa del Rio News and the Questa Economic Development Fund. “I am especially grateful to the Pueblo of Pojoaque for co-hosting this summit with me, and to the New Mexico Chamber of Commerce Foundation for bringing together such a diverse group of leaders,” said Senator Gonzales. “This included representatives from our tribes, acequias, mutual domestic water associations, state legislature, state agencies, counties, municipal governments, water treatment companies, and the oil and gas industry.”
An overview of the Governor Michelle Lujan’s 50-Year Water Action Plan was presented and served as the basis for many of the discussions around the challenges and opportunities related to water availability and utilization throughout the state.
Senator Gonzales added, “our open, respectful, and productive discussions about the Governor’s 50-Year Water Action Plan, including the treatment and use of brackish and produced water, were invaluable. It is only through continued dialogue that we will find the best solutions for New Mexico’s water challenges.”
The critical factor that drives the importance of addressing this issue now is that New Mexico is projected to have approximately 25 percent less water available in its rivers and aquifers over the next 50 years. “They’re not making any more water,” said Peter Vigil, district manager for the Taos Soil and Water Conservation District, “we have to find ways to conserve the water we have and use technology to manage the strategic water supply.”
The panel discussions were productive and covered topics that included the need for aquifer mapping and infrastructure investment, a focus on K-12 water curriculum, and training of a workforce skilled in water treatment. The role of the strategic water supply in fostering economic development through the use of treated brackish and produced water for industry was emphasized as important to preserving freshwater resources, especially in northern New Mexico.
Questa Mayor John Ortega shared his perspective on how the Summit “brought some of the biggest agenda items to the forefront in regard to the Village of Questa. We’re always cognizant of the need to upgrade our water system infrastructure and wastewater facilities. The use of reused water is also important for our future green hydrogen project. And acequias are vital to our community, to the farmers and ranchers in our area.”
As part of the event, Senator Gonzales presented the Agua Es Vida Lifetime Achievement Award to Questa’s Mary Trujillo-Mascarenas and the Agua Es Vida Amigo del Agua Award to Don Bush, the Chevron Questa Mine Waste Rock Pile Advisor. Both individuals were recognized for their outstanding contributions to water policy and management.
“Don’s award reflects Chevron’s commitment to the environmental remediation of the Questa Mine and to protecting the water resources of neighboring communities,” said Christian Isely, Chevron’s New Mexico Government Affairs Representative, “Chevron remains committed to assisting the acequias in northern Taos County and to donating water rights to the Village of Questa.”
Throughout the event, many speakers, including Lt. Governor Howie Morales, Governor’s Infrastructure Advisor Rebecca Roose, and State Representative Tara Lujan, stressed the importance of open and respectful conversations in shaping effective water policies. These conversations are critical to fostering collaboration and ensuring that solutions are developed with input from all stakeholders.
The Water Policy Summit successfully brought together diverse voices to address the urgent water challenges facing the state. With increasingly scarce water resources, the conversations and collaborations initiated at this summit will be crucial in developing sustainable water management strategies. Senator Gonzales concluded the event with a call for continued dialogue, emphasizing that the summit was just the beginning of a much-needed statewide effort to protect and manage the state’s water resources.
Here is the link to a downloadable pdf of the 50-Year Water Action Plan: www.nm.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/New-Mexico-50-Year-WaterAction-Plan.pdf
WATER 101
An acre-foot of water is the amount of water it takes to cover one acre of land with one foot of water. To visualize this, it would cover a football field with a foot of water.
This is 325,851 gallons of water, or 43,560 cubic feet of water (1 cubic foot of water = 7.4805 gallons)
This is enough water to meet the needs of two families of four people for one year.
Freshwater is groundwater, water from rivers, lakes, or wells, which originate from precipitation and snow melt, subject to periods of drought.
Brackish water is unrelated to oil and gas production: it is naturally occurring salty water originating from the geographic basins that were flooded with ocean water over 75 million years ago.
Produced water is also salty water originating from ancient ocean water which comes out of the ground with oil during oil and gas production.
Treated water is the result of any process that improves the quality of water to make it available for drinking, industrial use, irrigation, river flow maintenance, and water recreation.
