My colleagues Peter Coha and Jim Brainard and I have prepared computer simulations of the Gila River water that is legally available for diversion by a future New Mexico Unit of the Central Arizona Project. We also have modeled the useable water that a New Mexico Unit would yield for export to Deming and for supplemental irrigation on currently irrigated lands owned in the majority by Freeport McMoRan Copper and Gold, Inc.

Estevan Lopez yesterday denied my colleagues' request to present their modeling results at the ISC meeting on September 22. I will include a brief summary of our simulation results during the 10 minutes that Estevan approved for me to address the ISC, as part of my overall critique. I am attaching brief biographical information illustrating my qualifications to prepare and present this critique.

My colleagues and I did this work because the ISC, whose statutory mission includes investigation of NM's water, has officially and unlawfully said that its secret spreadsheet calculation of the water that is legally available for diversion is not a public record subject to public inspection under the law. ISC staff also maintains that it cannot estimate the usable water that the proposed New Mexico Unit would produce in advance of spending millions more. We disagree and have completed simulations of both the water that is legally available for diversion and the net new usable water for use by the project beneficiaries. We will provide this work to the ISC and the public.

We plan to demonstrate the model simulations, distribute PowerPoint presentations, and provide copies of the models outside the ISC meeting room on September 22. We plan to invite reporters to meet with us for a news conference regarding the modeling work and results the afternoon of September 22, arrangements TBA.

Gila River Development proponents should be discouraged by the low and irregular net yield of water that the outrageously expensive New Mexico Unit of the Central Arizona Project will produce.

On the other hand, federal funds totaling $66 million (now grown to about $90 million less the millions the ISC has spent on consultants and studies), were appropriated in 2004 to New Mexico for the ISC's decision regarding expenditure. That money could meet every reasonable need for drinking water system infrastructure improvements to meet all foreseeable needs in the four counties of Southwest New Mexico for the foreseeable future.

Norm Gaume, P.E. (ret.)

Albuquerque

Former Interstate Stream Commission Director