New Mexico Water Plans

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New Mexico Water Plans

• Presented by
• Angela Schackel Bordegaray
• State Regional Water Planner
• For the Water Cabinet
• January 14, 2009
• Santa Fe, New Mexico

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State Water Plan (NMSA 72-14-3.1)

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SWP Purpose

• Become strategic management tool for the purposes
  of
• Promoting stewardship of the states water
  resources
• Protect and maintain water rights and their
  priority status
• Protect diverse customs, culture, environment and
  economic stability of state
• Protect both water supply and water quality

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SWP Purpose cont.

• Promote cooperative strategies, based on meeting
  the basic needs of all New Mexicans
• Meeting the states interstate compact
  obligations
• Providing a basis for prioritizing infrastructure
  investment
• Providing statewide continuity of policy and
  management relative to our water resources.

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Why Plan?

• Less expensive than reacting (e.g. the Pecos
  River Settlement)
• An avenue for public input on water management
  policies
• Allows for integration of water quality (NMED)
  with water management
• Minimizes litigation
• Process for protecting water availability,
  improving efficiency, and prioritizing
  infrastructure funding

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ISC Directive

• Shall develop a comprehensive, coordinated state
  water plan that shall

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SWP Accomplishments

• Established a set of goals for the state
• Brought together considerable amount of data
• Serves as an excellent tool for educating the
  public about water issues
• Provides a framework for implementation of key
  actions required to meet the goals

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Changed Conditions since 2003

• Population Growth
• Climate Change
• Unregulated development of deep saline aquifers
• New proposed inter-basin transfers of water
  pipelines
• Aging infrastructure

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Changed Conditions since 2003

• Initiated efforts to acquire water for
  environmental stream flows
• State and Federal listings of aquatic species
  have increased
• Resurgence of uranium mining
• Interest in reuse of produced water from oil and
  gas development increasing
• Legal changes via new changed water laws and
  Court Decisions

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Water Planning Milestones 2008

• Conducted comprehensive review of SWP
• Conducted statewide by region population
  estimates and projections (UNM_BBER)
• All 16 ISC-water planning regions completed plans
  
• Increased public awareness of SWP

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Water Planning Resources

• Funding
• Regional water plans
• State Water Plan
• Staffing

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Current Water Planning Activities

• State Water Plan Update in 2009-2010
• Synthesis of Regional Water Plans
• Extensive Public Involvement Regional and
  Statewide meetings
• Publish Ongoing - Rolling Updates
• Maps, Glossary, Removable pages

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How NM Compares

• Texas - 21 million for water planning 15
  million for its State Water Plan
• Colorado - 1 million annually for its Compact
  Committee Support and Basin-Wide Needs
  Assessment allocates 10 million for water
  supply funding
• Wyoming and Utah each employ five planning staff
  and annually fund their planning programs
  300,000 and 500,000, respectively

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Results of an Updated SWP

• A guide for implementing defined strategies for
  effective water management in future
• Whether this final report is one of substance --
  or whether it reflects little or no public input
  and contains very little usable information
  depends on funding and collaboration for these
  efforts

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New Mexico Water Planning Regions
Source Daniel B. Stephens Associates, Inc.
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ISC Regional Water Planning Program

• Started in 1987 (72-14-43 and 44)
• Not well-funded when initiated
• Guidance provided in 1994 Regional Water
  Planning Handbook
• Increased funding levels 1999-2006 led to
  completion of water plans

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ISC Regional Water Planning Program

• Not the same as 40-year water plans (72-1-9)
• Separate from efforts related to
  regionalization of drinking water systems
• All Regional Water Plans available on OSE/ISC
  Website www.ose.state.nm.us (go to ISC then
  Planning Division then click on Regional Water
  Plans)

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Regional Water Plans

• Provide technical assessment of surface water and
  groundwater resources
• Highlight drought vulnerability in areas relying
  on surface water
• Provide projections of future population growth
  and water demand
• Discuss alternatives or strategies for meeting
  future needs within the region
• Have no authority to change laws or water rights

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ISC Regional Water Planning Program

• a mechanism for ongoing communication among
  stakeholders and the states water managers
  within each region
• technical information on supply and demand from
  regional water plans can potentially contribute
  to the State Water Planning efforts

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Conclusions

• Integration of regional water plans into state
  water plans is a challenge.
• Linking water funding to water plans promotes
  implementation.
• State authority to mandate water supply
  development options encourages regions to
  collaborate on mutually beneficial solutions to
  competing water demands.

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The End
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www.ose.state.nm.us

• Angela Bordegaray 827-6167
• Angela.Bordegaray_at_state.nm.us