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1999-2000 Annual Report

Last Modified: 3/08/2001

Appendix C

Office of the State Engineer
and Interstate Stream Commission
Acequia Renovation Programs

Acequias are recognized under New Mexico law as political subdivisions of the state. Acequia associations have been in existence since the Spanish colonization period of the 17th and 18th centuries; historically, they have been a principal local government unit for the distribution and use of irrigation water. They have the power of eminent domain; they can borrow money and enter into contracts for maintenance and improvements.

Grants to Acequias

State and federal agencies instituted a program for rehabilitation and improvement of New Mexico acequias and small irrigation systems about 38 years ago. The New Mexico Legislature also appropriates monies each year from the Irrigation Works Construction Fund (IWCF) for the State Engineer to make grants to community ditches for the same purpose. Eighty percent of project cost, up to $60,000 per project, can be covered by the grant.

Loans to Acequias

The Interstate Stream Commission (ISC) also makes low-interest loans available to community ditches and other organizations from the IWCF for construction and repair of irrigation works. The loans are made at 2.5% interest and the usual repayment period is 10 years.

Corps of Engineers
Acequia Program

The Water Resource and Development Act of 1986 (PL 99-662) authorized the Secretary of the Army to undertake measures necessary to protect and restore the diversion structures and associated canals of community ditches. The Act requires a 25% nonfederal cost-share for Corps of Engineers projects. In 1999 the NM. Legislature appropriated $900,000 from the IWCF to match 17.5% of the cost of such projects.

A New Partnership

In 1999, a new partnership between the OSE, ISC, U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) was implemented with the objective of accelerating the renovation process. Under this new partnership, the OSE has full authority to serve as the focal point of state assistance when dealing with acequia renovation projects. A newly-funded assistance program, called COE Light, used the funding resources of the COE and the design and planning expertise of the NRCS to help acequia organizations implement renovations. Another COE renovation program, COE MAX, has been streamlined to use the expertise of the OSE to direct and prioritize the assistance efforts of all involved agencies.

 

 
      Table C-1:
Acequia Projects Assisted by OSE/ISC and
Completed in Fiscal Year 1999-2000.		      
      County       Acequia       Construction Cost
in Dollars		      
      Chavez       Mulcock-Foley Powell Ditch       53,200      
      Chavez       Powell-Runyan Ditch       82,000      
      Guadalupe       Vado de Juan Paiz Ditch       46,000      
      Lincoln       Maxwell Ditch       24,000      
      Otero       Tularosa Community Ditch       102,500      
      Rio Arriba       Acequia del Bordo       117,000      
      Santa Fe       Acequia de La Cienega       117,000      
      San Miguel       Acequia de Los Trigos       64,000      
      Socorro       La Joya Acequia       127,500      
      Taos       Acequia Arriba del Valle       90,000      
      Taos       Acequia de Los Lovatos       34,100      
      Taos       Rio Lucio Southside Ditch       49,000      
      Total       906,400      
 

Next: Appendix D: OSE/ISC Cooperative Projects with the USGS and Middle Rio Grande Basin Projects

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