By Mary Alice Murphy

The New Mexico Office of the State Engineer, with the aid of the Interstate Stream Commission, is holding meetings throughout the state to update the regional water plans concurrently.

Tuesday afternoon in Silver City, facilitator Rosemary Romero introduced Joanne Hilton, hydrologist for the updates, and Angela Bordegaray, ISC state water planner.

Bordegaray said the OSE set up the concurrent updates of all regional water plans to provide consistent data when it comes time to complete the state water plan.

The purpose is to identify the programs, policies and projects for the water plan.

"We are developing a common technical platform, so that data and format are consistent across the board," Bordegaray said. "We are considering not just the availability of water, but also what is legally available water."

Hilton noted that state water management is based on information in the 16 regional water plans. She gave a "quick refresher of material covered at the Deming meeting last month."

She explained the process for updating the regional water plan is comprised of updating technical data, including climate data, stream gages, groundwater monitoring, and population projections, using consistent sources; identifying water management issues in the region; interviewing key individuals regarding economic development and outlook in various sectors; and projecting future demand.

"We want to use consistent methodology, and a lot of information can be found in the Handbook," Hilton said. "Components of the updates include public involvement and projects, programs and policies to address regional water needs. We need the initial list of the last three by June 30, 2015. We will refine the list next fiscal year. The list will be written by your region, and Rosemary and I will help."

Hilton listed the requested composition of the Steering Committee. They include representative water use groups, such as agricultural, municipal and county governments, rural water provider, extractive industry, environmental interest, local business, tribal entity (as appropriate), watershed interest, federal agencies and others as identified by the steering committee.

Romero said all meetings, including Steering Committee meetings, are open to the public, but the members of the Steering Committee are the ones that can implement and "sign on the dotted line."

She said she started to build a master list of stakeholders. "It's what I use for outreach. The local Council of Governments was very important for us for names."

Romero provided the steering committee draft list, with some blanks and asked for help in filling them. "Alternates are also important for the Steering Committee." Subcommittees can also be set up, as needed.

She said Priscilla Lucero, Southwest New Mexico COG executive director, is the point person for the organization to coordinate with the ISC and contractors on logistics and the agenda, coordinating communication with the Steering Committee and stakeholders, and communicating regional issues to the ISC.

"We are seeing the watershed as a big issue," Romero said. "Subcommittees can help and meet in between meetings, without us."

Hilton said other meetings could also be set without the three of them. "Maybe we need a framework for fiscal year 16."

Darr Shannon, representing Hidalgo County and the Hidalgo Soil and Water Conservation District, said meetings should be held in Silver City, because it is the hub of the region.

Marilyn Alcorn, representing the Grant County Food Policy Council, suggested some meetings might be held using telecommunication.

Bordegaray said the meeting that afternoon and the June meeting will be part of this fiscal year. "We need to develop the public involvement plan. The ISC is looking at the scope of the project next year and is suggesting only two to three supported meetings."

Romero summarized the makeup of the plan, as holding meetings in Silver City and using telecom, with two to three supported meetings.

Hilton got back into the administrative water supply portion of the PowerPoint. "The water supply is that which is physically and legally available in the region. It is based on the 2010 withdrawals, as reported in the OSE Water Use by Categories report. 2010 was a 'normal' year. The report was corrected for drought supply based on the driest year on record. We know there are groundwater deficits. Groundwater is a non-renewable resource."

The PowerPoint listed key issues in the region as forest health and restoration/forest fire prevention, drought, extreme precipitation that might create severe flooding impacts, water rights/limits in the Gila and Mimbres basins, groundwater level declines in some areas, drinking water system and acequia infrastructure maintenance and upgrade financing, potential Gila diversion, border issues and water quality protection.

Allyson Siwik, representing the Gila Resources Information Project and the Gila Conservation Coalition, asked when the participants would see something written.

"Sometime in the fall," Hilton said. "We want the draft of programs, policies and projects by the end of June, and then the ISC will review them all."

Bordegaray said October, November or December were more realistic, because the ISC will have 16 plans to review.

"We are working on the common technical platform," Bordegaray said. "Look at the handbook to see what the state is doing."

"Your job is the public involvement," Romero said. "By June 30, the tech team will give the draft of the common technical platform to the ISC. My deliverables are to create the Steering Committee, develop the master list and create the public involvement plan."

"Regions will get a packet in the fall," Bordegaray said.

"That's when the work begins after you receive the common technical platform," Romero said.

Siwik asked if there would be a possibility for the Steering Committee to review the common technical platform.

"As the Steering Committee, your comments will be in the meetings," Bordegaray said. "There will not be a public comment period, as such. It will be the planning."

Hilton said there would be compilation of public data, especially if key issues or important information gets missed.

Bordegaray said: "It's a matter of resources dictating this process. The data is for planning purposes, and the main goal is to capture comments. Then, if as planned, the water plans are updated every five years, it will simplify things."

"Hopefully nothing will be in the document that will prevent you moving forward in the planning," Hilton said. "Hopefully, there will be enough for you to pull the document together."

She said the consultants would pull items from local infrastructure capital improvement plans, with an emphasis on future projects. Romero pointed out the specific form, a writable PDF, for the future projects.

Anita Hand, Catron County commissioner, asked if they wanted little projects, as well as large ones. Hilton replied: "Little or big, we want them."

Grant County Planner Anthony Gutierrez noted that 16 proposals are on the table in the Arizona Water Settlements Act planning process. "And I reiterate that June 1 is the deadline for municipal water conservation project applications to the ISC."

Helen Sobien of the ISC said she has received zero applications for municipal water conservation projects. "Three million dollars is set aside for them."

Romero stated future strategies, which will be discussed at the next meeting, are due before June 30.

Hilton returned to the PowerPoint and showed the lists of accepted regional water plan strategies for the last update in 2005.

Romero wanted to know which strategies had been implemented.

Siwik said the town of Silver City did a pilot water conservation project and created a water conservation plan. Jim Massengill, representing the city of Deming, said the city's pilot project "didn't work too well, but we have the data in place."

Siwik also noted the local Office of Sustainability is doing a combination water and electrical energy conservation project called Energy Sense. "In agricultural conservation, I think it's 85 percent of Luna County is now on drip irrigation."

Art Telles, representing the Gila National Forest, said: "We'll email you our list. We have created a lot of partnerships and projects. We also have a whole list of wildland-urban interface projects."

Peter Esqueda, Silver City Utilities Department director, said the town is doing subsurface leak detection to conserve water. "With our return flow credits, we are doing enhancement of surface recharge. We applied for and received return flow credits, which we are using for groundwater development."

Martha Cooper, representing The Nature Conservancy, said Freeport-McMoran Copper & Gold Inc. is doing a program for water conservation.

Hand said a group in northern Catron County has been doing its best to prevent the potential sale of San Augustin Plains groundwater. "We're not going to let it happen."

Esqueda said the return flow credits were contributing to the Grant County Water Commission's regional water supply project. "We are developing a wellfield at the Grant County Airport, with the water rights offset by the return flow credit. The wellfield will provide water to Hurley, along with an intercommunity water plan. It will benefit Hurley first, because the town has no water rights."

M.D. "Dutch" Salmon, representing the Gila Conservation Coalition, said since 2005, there had been a change in the Mimbres Basin. "It used to be 3 acre-feet were allowed per domestic well. Now it's down to 1 acre-foot."

Siwik said rainwater-harvesting projects have been implemented, as well as storm water management.

Gutierrez said most entities are utilizing storm water runoff.

Alcorn suggested a bullet point for actual water policy change as a future strategy. "There are policies that get in the way."

Romero noted some are local policies and some are state.

Esqueda asked to re-address the critical block structure.

Romero asked that future strategies be on the regional level.

Lucero said nine colonias are working on a regional water storage project. As well, Glenacres is working with Lordsburg to combine. "They are in discussion seeking USDA funding, but because of legal issues, it's on hold."

She noted that some systems cannot regionalize because of mountains being in the way. "Some water associations are existing on one well."

Romero said mutual domestic water associations are struggling with needing additional wells or infrastructure. "They need administration support, because they don't have anyone to write grants or provide such support."

Lucero said the groups here are looking at using the same equipment and personnel for utility billing. "The COGs are in discussion with the Auditor's Office on audits. The small groups don't have personnel to get them done.

"In Grant County, we had a pilot project five or 10 years ago," Lucero said. "I think we will have to look at it for water associations to comply with regulations."

Massengill said to fund sewage for colonias, they need the money to do the connections.

Lucero said Luna, Hidalgo and Grant County have food policy councils, mainly for commercial kitchens and small grower development.

Alcorn said the councils are looking for water rights and agreements to lease water to small agriculture.

Lucero said energy efficiency should be added to every piece.

Romero laid out the homework for participants: to gather projects, programs and policy information for future strategies; and fill out the future projects form.

"My homework is to send you the summary, checklist, PowerPoint presentation, and include a link to the handbook," Romero said.

Lucero said that future projects should be included on the entities' ICIPs for easier state funding. Hilton said a compilation of the information in draft list would be beneficial.

"We need the projects in the regional water plan so you can possibly get Water Trust Board funding," Bordegaray said.

Lucero asked how many knew about the La Ristra project. Few to no hands went up. "It's a project to develop a statewide economic development strategy," she said. "Part of it is to develop a database of all projects across the state, so we can find out the status of any project anywhere in the state."

After discussion on venue and date, it was decided the next meeting would take place at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 3, in Silver City at a venue to be determined.

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