New Mexico Water Planning Assistance Act

Floor Speech

NEW MEXICO WATER PLANNING ASSISTANCE ACT -- (Extensions of Remarks - July 13, 2007)

* Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1904, the New Mexico Water Planning Assistance Act. I would like to thank my colleague from New Mexico for her work on this legislation and on the issue. It is an extremely important issue to us in New Mexico, and throughout the Southwest.

* Like other states in the arid west, New Mexico suffers from water scarcity. Drought often impacts municipal water supply, agricultural water supply, and increases volatility in high fire-risk areas. Economies and ecologies alike are threatened when scarce water resources are not properly managed. Ensuring careful management of this precious resource is a top priority in communities throughout New Mexico. This bill would allow New Mexico communities to unite under statewide water plans, formulated from comprehensive statewide research and quantification of water resources.

* Through grants and technical assistance from the Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Geological Survey, this bill authorizes funding for resource mapping and studies assessing the quality and quantity of both surface and groundwater throughout the state. The bill further allocates funds to develop models for several of the state's rivers, many of which are threatened by overuse and excessive impoundment. This year, the Rio Grande was included in the World Wildlife Fund's list of the world's top 10 most threatened rivers, and the Santa Fe River was listed as the Nation's Most Endangered River this year by American Rivers. Research and conservation along these rivers will positively impact New Mexicans and the greater southwest region.

* This bill will provide New Mexico with information and resources that will enable the state to sustainably manage and conserve its precious water resources. By facilitating comprehensive surface and groundwater studies, this bill will allow New Mexicans to make sound decisions on water resource management that will impact the entire southwestern United States.

* Mr. Speaker, this bill is an important step towards sustainable water management in New Mexico and the Southwest. A comprehensive approach to hydrologic resource management is necessary to confront the challenges of New Mexico's growing communities and precarious fluctuations in climate. This bill provides New Mexico with the tools needed to meet these challenges in a sustainable manner, and I urge its passage.

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