Residents tell review committee developers obliterated acequia; committee members and staff promise follow‑up

A resident, Rick Ward, told the City of Santa Fe Archaeological Review Committee during public comment on May 22 that a historic acequia and an associated cultural site west of St. Francis Drive were altered and in places obliterated after successive property sales and grading by developers, including Pulte Homes. Ward said he and neighborhood volunteers had previously raised mitigation concerns and that promised remediation had not occurred. Ward described earlier determinations by the ARC and surveyors that called for buffer setbacks and preservation of the acequia segment, and said those protections were not followed when the land passed through multiple private owners. He said the developer’s grading created a ponding and drainage problem, that the community has been given only token recognition such as a plaque, and that the site remains unrepaired. He also said he had raised the issue with the city and with project leads but had not seen mitigation implemented. Committee members and staff responded with procedural suggestions: they advised Ward to pull the minutes from the meetings where mitigation commitments were recorded and to work with staff to identify the easement and property history. Committee members noted the possibility that permits and plats should have recorded easements and suggested staff would search records and could provide older aerial photos and other documentary evidence to trace when the acequia feature was lost. Why it matters: Acequias and traditional irrigation features are both cultural landscape resources and practical drainage infrastructure in parts of the city; their alteration can affect heritage values, downstream drainage, and permit compliance. Ward asked for signage and community involvement in mitigation; committee members encouraged continued engagement and suggested staff contact the resident with follow‑up steps. Committee direction and next steps: Staff said they would search historical records and minutes and coordinate further with the resident and the applicant/contractor. Ward offered to help with on‑the‑ground cleanup. No formal ARC action was taken at the hearing; the committee recommended further record review and potential follow‑up.