Santa Fe, NM) – Chairman Joseph Cervantes encourages Silver City, and Grant and Dona Ana County residents to attend New Mexico's interim Water and Natural Resources Committee for its two days of public hearings in Silver City, NM on September 5th and 6th. The committee will focus on several timely issues, including the Arizona Water Settlement Act (AWSA) and its impact on the Gila River, an update on salt cedar beetle eradication efforts, State Water Plan developments, and the proposed transfer of the Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park from the New Mexico State Parks division to the state Game & Fish Department.
"New Mexico's future depends on access to abundant and reliable water resources including drinking water and preservation of agriculture. Water issues are among the most urgent and complex problems we must address to secure a bright future for our children and grandchildren. The Water and Natural Resources Committee hearings next week are an excellent opportunity for all citizens to learn more about these challenges, how they affect them and future generations and how they can be involved to meet those challenges. I urge everyone to attend these important public meetings of experts, leaders and citizens to find out how we can secure a strong future for our New Mexico communities," said Senator Joseph Cervantes, Committee Chair.
WHAT: Hearings of the Water and Natural Resources Committee of the NM Legislature
WHEN: September 5th - Tuesday
9:00 am to 5:15 pm
September 6th – Wednesday
9:00 am to 1:30 pm
WHERE: Grant County Business & Conference Center
3031 U.S. Highway 180 E
Silver City, NM
WHO: Senator Joseph Cervantes, Chair, committee members and expert witnesses
The Arizona Water Settlement Act allocates $128 million in federal funding to New Mexico for water planning purposes in the southwest region of the state. The committee will look at how those funds currently are being used, and whether they may be used more efficiently.
A leaf-eating beetle that was introduced ten years ago to help control the growth of salt cedar plants along rivers of the southwest U.S. is raising new questions about erosion and its effects on wildlife habitat.
The Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park in Las Cruces may be transferred to a different state agency and no longer be a state park, under a recent plan announced by Gov. Martinez's administration.
This will be the third meeting in 2017 of the interim Water and Natural Resources Committee. The committee continues its work to address issues of particular importance to the southwest and south central regions of the state.
Read the full agenda: https://www.nmlegis.gov/agendas/WNRCageSep05.17.pdf