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Committee advances $10 million river stewardship funding; amendment extends spending window to four years
Summary
Senate Bill 108, an appropriation to the Environment Department's River Stewardship Program to fund watershed restoration projects, received committee approval as amended to allow a four-year expenditure window; the vote was 7-1.
Senate Bill 108, an appropriation to fund river, stream and wetland restoration projects through the Environment Department's River Stewardship Program, won committee approval as amended by a 7-1 vote.
Sponsor described the amendment (0.230079.0.1) as two changes: extending the time agencies have to expend appropriated funds from one year to four years, and specifying funds are for the River Stewardship Program managed by the New Mexico Environment Department. The sponsor said the change aligns project timelines with capital outlay practices.
Kate Lacey Young, watershed protection program manager at the Environment Department, described monitoring and effectiveness evaluation for funded work, including baseline water-quality monitoring before projects, project-level monitoring during construction and longer-term effectiveness monitoring afterward. "We do actually produce success stories as the state of New Mexico in demonstrating that we are achieving water quality standards," she said.
Testimony in support included local watershed practitioners and community groups. Vidal Gonzales of the New Mexico Acequia Association emphasized community benefits and recovery from disasters, citing need in areas affected by wildfires and floods. Contractors and local conservation districts described completed projects and employment benefits from restoration work.
Committee members asked about the number of active projects and how the annual appropriation would be spent; the department said it currently has about 38 active projects, many multiyear, and that past RFP cycles allocated about $10 million with ARPA funds in the prior round.
On the motion to recommend passage as amended, the committee voted 7 in favor and 1 opposed. The amendment's change to a four-year expenditure window was a central point of discussion.
