House committee gives do-pass to SB193 to double acequia infrastructure fund to $5M annually

A House committee on Thursday recommended passage of Senate Bill 193, which would increase recurring annual funding for the Acequia Community Ditch Infrastructure Fund (ACDIF) from $2,500,000 to $5,000,000.

The bill’s sponsor opened the committee session and introduced experts from the New Mexico Acequia Association. Paula Garcia, executive director of the New Mexico Acequia Association, told the committee the fund was codified in 2019 after decades of year-to-year support and that the Interstate Stream Commission administers the program. "Typically an acequia that goes through their program will complete their project within two years," Garcia said, and she cited a completion rate of about 90 percent for projects funded through the program.

Supporters at the hearing argued the larger recurring allocation reflects recent spending and continued need. Douglas Mickelton, who identified himself as a registered lobbyist for a conservation group, said increased funding is necessary "in light of the damage caused by forest fires and flooding," and urged members to support the bill. Don Bustos, chair of the Rio Camaron/Rio Frijoles/Rio Medio/Santa Cruz Stream Systems Association, said his members irrigate more than 5,000 acres and that the fund is critical to prevent fires and flooding. Yolanda Jaramillo of Dixon told the committee, "Without acequias, New Mexico will not be," urging lawmakers to protect water and land rights.

Committee members pressed witnesses on the source and sizing of the increase. Representative Zamora asked how the $5,000,000 figure was determined; witnesses said the level reflects average awarded amounts over the past three fiscal years, when special appropriations supplemented the recurring $2.5 million and agencies awarded roughly $5–$6 million annually. Witnesses also said the program currently faces an estimated unmet need of about $74,000,000 across all eligible projects.

Witnesses described the program’s grant structure: engineering-design applications are due in March and construction applications are due in May; projects must be in financial compliance (including audits), document water rights, and secure a local commission resolution to be eligible. In a recent grant cycle witnesses said award breakdowns were roughly $500,000 for engineering and $4,800,000 for construction.

Representatives asked about fiscal impact on the Irrigation Works Construction Fund, the source of the recurring allocation. Agency witnesses said the trust fund had a balance of about $22,800,000 and receives roughly $7,000,000 in recurring revenue yearly from the state’s permanent fund. They noted two recurring earmarks out of that trust (approximately $2.5 million for acequias and $1 million for a forestry fund) and told lawmakers that setting the acequia allocation at $5,000,000 annually would be within the fund’s recurring revenue profile, given recent appropriations and agency discretion.

Representative Zamora moved a do-pass recommendation on SB 193; the motion was seconded by Representative Kates and the committee recorded a do-pass recommendation. The transcript does not include a roll-call vote or a member-by-member tally.

The committee adjourned after the do-pass action. The chair thanked Saba Ijadi of Trout Unlimited for providing burritos to staff and members.

What happens next: a do-pass recommendation moves the bill forward in the House process; the committee did not record a roll-call vote or a final enactment date in the hearing record.