Corrales water team outlines timeline to combine rights, seek 40‑year plan and move on 230 acre‑foot purchase

The Corrales water team briefed the council on a multi‑part strategy to secure and manage water rights, including a proposed purchase of roughly 230 acre‑feet and a draft 40‑year water plan the village needs to consolidate local wells under a municipality combining/comingling permit.

Mike Hammond, water team lead, said a draft 40‑year water plan is under internal review and will support two permit applications: (1) a combining/comingling application that would allow Corrales to combine well rights under a municipal permit and (2) lease agreements (including a proposed lease with the town of Bernalillo for San Juan–Chama storage) that would address recent overpumping and provide temporary water. Hammond described a two‑step public process with 70‑day public notice windows for each application and estimated that the combining permit could be advertised and move through review in the June–July timeframe if no protests arise.

Hammond explained the technical advantage: combining rights under a 40‑year municipal plan allows underused rights to offset wells where overpumping has occurred. He also said the village still projects a remaining 10–15 acre‑foot gap that it will need to acquire later. He told council the town of Bernalillo has offered a lease at roughly $100 per acre‑foot for storage in Abiquiú Reservoir and cautioned that lease availability after 2030 could shift depending on broader allocations and drought conditions.

Councilors asked about publication requirements, protest timelines and lease costs. Mike said the State Engineer posts applications and the village will publish notices in a local paper at least twice as required; the team is also proactively informing potentially interested parties to minimize surprises.

Councilors emphasized outreach and transparency as the team prepares applications for early 2026.