Officials and advocates told an interim legislative committee how acequias across New Mexico are accessing planning, engineering and construction funds, participating in disaster recovery and resolving audit compliance hurdles.

Paula Garcia, executive director of the New Mexico Acequia Association, described the association’s long‑running community‑education and governance program and the association’s role helping acequias update bylaws, apply for infrastructure funds, and navigate disaster recovery. "These are long‑term relationships," she said, noting projects that have taken a decade from bylaws and planning to construction and post‑disaster recovery.

Jonathan Martinez, chief of the Acequia Bureau at the Interstate Stream Commission, outlined the Acequia Community Ditch Infrastructure Fund (ACDIF), created by statute in 2019 and amended in 2023 to include disaster response, recovery and hazard mitigation. Martinez said the ACDIF provides planning and scoping assistance, engineering‑service grants (up to about $50,000), construction awards (up to $250,000 for construction costs per applicant per year) and engineering oversight funding. The ISC’s bureau reviews applications year‑round and sets deadlines for engineering and construction applications that align with the state fiscal year; Martinez described multi‑year project pipelines and recent work that used additional capital outlay appropriations to support acequia projects.

Manuel Luna, coordinator of the Office of the State Auditor’s Small Local Public Bodies Assistance Program, described audit‑compliance support the office provides. The program was established with a special appropriation and recently received larger allocations; Luna said the office contracts with independent public accountants (IPAs) for tiered certifications and agreed‑upon procedures, pays invoices directly so small entities avoid up‑front costs, and has modernized OSAConnect to allow digital signatures and filings for remote rural users. Luna said the program had helped secure about $1.3 million in withheld capital outlay funds for local entities and supported 35 acequias through direct assistance.

Pamela Garcia, constituent services director for U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján, summarized federal programs that support acequias and related infrastructure work, including USDA programs (EQIP, regional conservation partnership programs and the emergency watershed protection program), Army Corps of Engineers projects funded under the Water Resources Development Act (section 113 work for acequias), and congressionally directed spending (earmarks). Garcia said the delegation secured designated funding in recent cycles and continues to press for access to federal disaster and reconstruction resources in partnership with state agencies.

Speakers described how the Hermits Peak‑Calf Canyon and other recent disasters expanded expectations for post‑fire acequia recovery. Participants said quick field assessments and working relationships with FEMA, DHSEM and NRCS were essential: disaster assessments require acequia‑specific knowledge to identify infra‑structure that FEMA or NRCS might otherwise miss.

Presenters urged continued coordination: the Acequia Association requested a more institutionalized, statutorily protected state line item for community technical assistance; the ISC and OSA described capacity constraints that limit how many projects the state can shepherd simultaneously; and Senate staff and the delegation offered federal pathways for larger or multijurisdictional projects. Committee members encouraged continued interagency collaboration and increased resources to support long recovery timelines.

Sources and provenance: presentations by Paula Garcia (New Mexico Acequia Association), Jonathan Martinez (Interstate Stream Commission Acequia Bureau), Manuel Luna (Office of the State Auditor) and Pamela Garcia (U.S. Senate office) to the interim committee.