Water Trust Board technical assistance program wins quick demand: 43 applications and $4.3M awarded

At the Appropriations & Finance Committee hearing, Donnie Quintana outlined the Water Trust Board technical assistance program, created after the 2024 passage of the statutory change that authorized NMFA to use water project funds for capacity building. Quintana described the initiative as a proof of concept to relieve volunteer‑run water systems of complex procurement, contracting and compliance tasks.

Quintana said the program offers five services: contracted technical assistance (preliminary engineering reports, hydrology studies), GIS mapping, accounting setup (not auditing), legal services (joint powers agreements, mergers), and facilitation for public meetings and stakeholder engagement. “The proof of concept here is basically that why not put that burden on an entity that has the capacity such as the finance authority?” he said.

According to Quintana, applications opened 06/01/2025; NMFA has received 43 applications and approved them all. “We are currently providing 85 different services to those entities… We've made awards of 4,300,000,” Quintana reported, adding that 61 mutual domestic water associations are working on regionalization projects that could create 18 new regionalized organizations statewide.

Committee members asked about ongoing funding and scalability. Quintana said NMFA awarded roughly $3.5 million for the current fiscal year and expects a similar tranche at the next fiscal year start, which together would keep the proof of concept on a solid footing while NMFA evaluates costs and outcomes.

The hearing did not produce a vote; members pressed for follow‑up data on geographic distribution, the set of services awarded per applicant and longer‑term cost estimates for statewide rollout.