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Committee backs doubling annual transfer to acequia infrastructure fund
Summary
Senate Bill 208 would increase the annual transfer from the Irrigation Works Construction Fund to the Acequia and Community Ditch Infrastructure Fund from $2.5 million to $5 million; the committee approved the bill and supporters said the money is urgently needed for repairs and disaster cost shares.
The Senate Conservation Committee voted to advance Senate Bill 208, which would increase the annual transfer from the state—s Irrigation Works Construction Fund to the Acequia and Community Ditch Infrastructure Fund (ACDIF) from $2.5 million to $5 million per year.
Sponsor Senator Campos said the program has a large backlog of projects and that the additional funding is needed to repair and upgrade acequia infrastructure statewide and to cover local cost shares when federal disaster assistance requires a match. Paula Garcia, executive director of the New Mexico Acequia Association, told the committee the fund has supported projects with a high completion rate but identified roughly $75 million in unmet needs across the state.
Hannah Riesley White, director of the Interstate Stream Commission (ISC), described the program—s ranking criteria and said the ISC uses guidelines developed with acequia groups and the Acequia Commission to prioritize projects by readiness and need. The ISC noted that federal cost-share programs such as NRCS and Army Corps programs can be leveraged when state funds are available; those federal programs have variable cost-share ratios (for example, 90/10 for some Corps projects).
Supporters including Justin Garoot of Conservation Voters New Mexico and local acequia commissioners spoke in favor. No opposition was recorded at the hearing. Committee members asked about the fund balance and other uses of the irrigation trust funds; staff reported an unaudited FY24 ending balance of about $22.8 million and noted other annual withdrawals from the fund for agency operations and watershed programs.
Senator Townsend moved the bill to pass; the motion carried by a 7-1 vote with two excused. Committee members said the increase would address urgent repair needs and help leverage federal assistance.
