Acequias, land grants celebrated at Roundhouse

“¡Que vivan las acequias!” was the repeated call in the Roundhouse rotunda Monday.

Acequia Day and Guadlupe of Hidalgo Treaty Day at the New Mexico Legislature highlighted some of the state’s oldest and smallest government bodies: acequias and land grants-mercedes.

A bill to get more dedicated infrastructure funding for acequias and land grants was tabled in the House Taxation and Revenue Committee Monday morning, and is likely dead this session, but the bill’s sponsor says he plans to bring it back next year. Rep. Miguel García, D-Atrisco, said there is bipartisan support for the bill’s concept, but the logistics of how to fund it need more work.

“There's still breath in our effort to make this happen,” he said.

Land grants get less than $4 million through the capital outlay process, but the need is closer to $23 million, said García. Acequias can apply for money from a $2.5 million fund for repairs and infrastructure work, and could get another $2 million special appropriation in this year’s budget, said Paula Garcia, executive director of the New Mexico Acequia Association, but again, the need outweighs the available funding.

“We've identified tens of millions of dollars across the state in projects that aren't able to move forward because there isn't enough money, but the reason we need these resources is to keep our communities alive,” she said. “The acequias are providing water for farmers and ranchers — our agricultural economy.”

House Bill 21 would use the state’s severance tax bonding capacity to create dedicated infrastructure funds and generate $22 million each for land grants and acequias annually. It was modeled after the Tribal Infrastructure Fund and the Colonias Infrastructure Fund, García said.

An analysis from the state’s Department of Finance and Administration found the bill would raise the department’s administrative costs and “significantly limit the State Board of Finance’s ability to fully fund earmarked projects at the levels approved by the Legislature.”

García has a commitment from the House Taxation and Revenue Committee Chair, Rep. Derrick Lente, D-Sandia Pueblo, to work together on the bill before the next session, he said.

Some of the acequias struggling with infrastructure costs are part of the Rio Chama Acequia Association. Repairs are still ongoing for flooding in 2024 that damaged acequias fed by the Rio Chama, said Rick Martinez, the association’s treasurer.

The association is working to develop the watershed and find ways to slow down floodwaters so that future floods can be harnessed for agriculture instead of destroying infrastructure. One strategy is adding vegetation to high arroyo walls to prevent large amounts of soil eroding into the arroyos during floods, which then wash into the acequias, according to Darel Madrid, a Rio Chama Acequia Association past president.

“There's a lot of low tech solutions that we're working on,” Madrid said.

While acequia associations are working on improving infrastructure, State Auditor Joseph Maestas is trying to reduce the paperwork burden for small public bodies like acequias and land grants. The State Auditor’s Office is asking for a $1 million special appropriation in the state budget for audits of small public bodies, something they’ve done over the past several years using $2.5 million in past special appropriations. The work has helped release $10.7 million of capital outlay dollars that were held up by incomplete audits, Maestas said. In the future, he’d like to see the program funded as part of the State Auditor’s Office budget instead of via special appropriation.

Martinez is a fan of the program.

“Before, an audit used to cost us $3,000,” Martinez said. “Acequias can't afford that. That's 25% of our budget.”