1997-1998 Annual Report
Appendix IV
Interstate Stream Commission-Acequia Restoration Programs
Acequias are recognized under New Mexico law as political subdivisions of the state. Acequia associations have been in existence since the Spanish colonization period of the 17th and 18th centuries; historically, they have been a principal local government unit for the distribution and use of irrigation water. They have the power of eminent domain; they can borrow money and enter contracts for maintenance and improvements.
Recognizing the importance of water conservation, state and federal agencies instituted a program for rehabilitation and improvement of New Mexico acequias and small irrigation systems about 38 years ago. For that period, the Interstate Stream Commission (ISC) has been making loans to community ditches and other organizations from the Irrigation Works Construction Fund (IWCF) for construction and repair of irrigation works. The loans are made at 2.5% interest and the usual repayment period is 10 years.
The ISC also appropriates monies each year from the IWCF for the State Engineer to make grants to community ditches for the same purpose. In 1997 the percentage of the project that can be covered by the grant was raised from 15% to 80%, and the maximum loan from $15,000 to $60,000 per project. These have been used to cost-share a federal program through which the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provides project designs, engineering, construction supervision and inspection. The federal funding for this program ended in 1997; during the life of the program 770 projects were constructed at an approximate cost of $17.1 million, with federal contributions of $10.2 million, a state share of $3.6 million, and about $3.7 million loaned to acequias.
The Water Resource and Development Act of 1986 (PL 99-662) authorized the Secretary of the Army to undertake measures necessary to protect and restore the diversion structures and associated canals of community ditches. The Act requires a 25% nonfederal cost-share for Corps of Engineers projects. In 1987 the N.M. Legislature appropriated $500,000 from the IWCF to match 17.5% of the cost of such projects. The ISC was authorized to make low-interest loans to the acequias for a period of ten years to provide the remaining 7.5% local cost-share. The 1988 and 1990 legislatures each appropriated $1 million for this program. The local cooperation agreement to implement this program is between the Department of the Army and the State of New Mexico, acting through the ISC, which establishes an escrow account for payment of the state share of project costs.
The program has been difficult to administer for a number of reasons, not least its high cost; the program is only cost-effective for the acequia for projects that will cost over $200,000. During fiscal year 1997-98 the ISC and the Corps began investigating ways to make the program more conducive to smaller projects. The proposed revision of the local cooperation agreement incorporates Section 334 of the Water Resources Act of 1996, which calls for the reconnaissance study phase of the project to be 100% federally funded, as well as for credit for in-kind services and for payments the local sponsor makes for designs and work performed by the NRCS for the acequias.
Overall, about 38 projects serving 45 ditch associations have been completed under the program, at a total cost of about $15 million.
ISC/COE Acequia Projects
Acequia |
Project |
County |
Asst
|
Const.
|
Status |
| Madre de Pueblo | Flume | Taos | $40 | $80 | |
| Luceros Ditch | Diversion dam | Taos | $46 | $27 | |
| Acequia de la Yegua | Pipeline | Taos | $21.8 | $36.4 | completed |
| Acequia de la Placita | Bench Flume | Santa Fe | $3.4 | $13.8 | completed |
| E. Puerto de Luna | Flume | Guadalupe | $32.3 | $40.6 | |
| Los Trigos | 2 overshots | San Miguel | $26.7 | $54 | |
| Nacimiento Ditch | Drop structure | Sandoval | $4.6 | $50 | |
| Frank Ortiz Ditch | Heading | Santa Fe | .$32 | $5.4 | completed |
| W. Puerto de Luna | Pipe & lining | Guadalupe | $10.2 | $68.2 | completed |
| Santa Tomas 2 | Pipe & Revet | Mora | $.28 | $54.8 | completed |
| Vadito Northside | Diversion dam | Taos | $.8 | $38.1 | completed |
| Rio Lucia South | Heading | Taos | $.5 | $24 | |
| Los Luceros | Diversion dam | Mora | $6 | $79.2 | completed |
| Los Vigiles | Flume | San Miguel | cancelled | ||
| Lagunitas | Pipeline | Sandoval | |||
| La Cienega Ditch | Pipeline | Santa Fe | $5 | $130 | |
| Saucito Ditch | Diversion dam | Taos | $18.6 | $70 | completed |
| Vado de Juan Pais | Siphon | Guadalupe | NA | NA | |
| W. Puerto de Luna | Diversion Dam rehab | Guadalupe | $15.4 | $31.4 | completed |
| Otra Banda | Pipe & lining | Santa Fe | $13.3 | $100 | |
| Farmers Mutual | Lining | San Juan | $15 | $1,000 | |
| Eledge Mill | Lining | San Juan | $15 | $196 | |
| Halford | Lining | San Juan | $15 | ||
| Jewett Valley | Pipeline | San Juan | $5.3 | $73 | |
| Lower Animas | Pipeline | San Juan | $27.8 | $1,500 | |
| Ramah Valley | Pipeline | McKinley | $.82 | $50 | completed |
| La Puente | Contr.str. | Rio Arriba | $8 | $20 | |
| Acequia del Medio | Contr.str. | Rio Arriba | $2.7 | $7 | completed |
| de Llano Abeyta | 2 Contr.str. | Rio Arriba | $6 | completed | |
| MS Lateral-Alcad | Pipeline | Rio Arriba | $1.6 | $13 | completed |
| Sierra de Holman | Diversion dam | Mora | $8.5 | $28.9 | completed |
| Jemez Springs | Flume & lining | Sandoval | $.6 | $23 | completed |
| Mesa Community Ditch | Pipeline | Lincoln | $15 | completed | |
| Canones Ditch | Diversion dam/Str | Rio Arriba | $12.6 | $42 | |
| High Rolls | Pipeline | Otero | $4.1 | $56 | |
| Acequia de Arriba | Diversion dam | Taos | $16.5 | $70 | |
| San Ysidro Ditch | Lining | Sandoval | $18.4 | $21 | |
| Talpa Waterusers | Diversion dam | Taos | $11.5 | $48.6 | |
| del Agua Caliente | Undershot | San Miguel | $7 | $25.4 | completed |
| Kennedy Lateral | Ditch lining | De Baca | $8.1 | $32.5 | completed |
| Gibbons Lateral | Ditch lining | De Baca | $11 | $71.2 | completed |
| West Lateral | Ditch lining | De Baca | $9 | $65 | |
| Tularosa Ditch | Pipeline | Otero | $1.9 | $146 | |
| San Patricio | Pipeline | Lincoln | $15 | $60 | |
| Mulcock-Foley | Diversion Repair, Pipe | Chaves | $5 | $70 | |
| Powell-Runyan | Pipeline | Chaves | $17 | $70 | |
| San Jose Ledoux | Flume | Mora | $13.6 | $60 |
Table 11 (continued)
Acequia |
Project |
County |
Asst
|
Constr.
|
Status |
| San Jose Isla | Diversion dam | Mora | $7 | $12 | |
| Los Ortiz Nambe | Ditch lining | Santa Fe | $23.3 | $75 | completed |
| Los Ojitos | Pipeline | Santa Fe | $2.5 | $25 | completed |
| Las Ortegas | Pipeline | Santa Fe | $3.9 | $57 | completed |
| Placitas | Pipeline | Sandoval | $2.6 | $150 | |
| La Jara | Diversion dam | Sandoval | $6 | $20 | |
| Los Utes | Pipeline | Sandoval | $15 | $100 | |
| Rio Puerco | Pipeline | Sandoval | $9 | $30 | |
| Alcade | Contr. Str. | Rio Arriba | $2 | $7 | |
| Los Vigiles | Gr. Stab. Str. | Rio Arriba | $1.9 | $17.5 | completed |
| La Naza | Headgate | Rio Arriba | $2.6 | $7 | completed |
| Gavilan | Pipeline | Rio Arriba | $8 | $40 | |
| Macedonia | Heading | Grant | $10 | $40 | |
| Heredia | Flume | Grant | $20 | $65 | |
| Tierra Amarilla | Contr. Str. | Rio Arriba | $5.1 | $26 | completed |
| W. Puerto de Luna | Ditch lining | Guadalupe | $13.5 | $65 | |
| Crownover | Pipeline | Valencia | $2.4 | $23 | |
| Seabell | Ditch lining | Valencia | $6 | $43 | |
| Reneau & Smith | Pipeline | Valencia | $14 | $140 | |
| S. El Valle de Paz | Pipeline | Valencia | $11 | $51 | |
| Franklin | Pipeline | Valencia | $6 | $23 | |
| Loren Perea | Ditch lining | Valencia | $3 | $28 | |
| Rudy Marquez | Pipeline | Valencia | $6 | $52 | |
| Don McConnell | Pipeline | Valencia | $4 | $41 | |
| Dennis Trujillo | Pipeline | Valencia | $6 | $52 | |
| Bosque del Norte | Pipeline | Valencia | $11 | $75 | |
| Acequia del Ojo Sarco | Flume | Rio Arriba | $8 | $40 | |
| Acequia del Bordo | Diversion dam | Rio Arriba | $8.3 | $60 | |
| Acequia de Las Joyas | Diversion dam rehab | Santa Fe | $25 | $100 | |
| Don Pedro | Pipeline | Valencia | | $48 | completed |
| Quail Run | Pipeline | Valencia | | $25 | completed |
| Esperanza Rd. | Pipeline | Valencia | | $18 | completed |
| Kennedy Lateral | Ditch lining | De Baca | $1.2 | $53.4 | |
| W. Puerto de Luna | Ditch lining | Guadalupe | | | |
| Cothern Ditch | HF Turnout | Doña Ana | | | |
| Claunch Lateral | Ditch lining | Doña Ana | | | |
| Berryhill Road | Ditch lining | Valencia | | $28 | |
| Acequia El Cano | Infil. Gallery | Santa Fe | | | |
| de Los Quarteles | Siphon | Santa Fe | | $18 | |
| West Lateral | Pipeline | De Baca | | $55.4 | completed |
| D. Montoya | Ditch lining | Valencia | | $121 | |
| Marmon | Ditch lining | Valencia | | $47 | |
| Gallegos | Ditch lining | Valencia | | $87 | |
| Framers Ditch | Pipeline | San Juan | | | |
| Del Barranco | Contr. Str. | Rio Arriba | | | |
| La Gallina | Gabions | Rio Arriba | | | |
| La Puebla | Pipeline | Santa Fe | $8 | $65 | |
| Tierra Amarilla | Sluice | Rio Arriba | | $30 | |
| Lower Jemez Ditch | Diversion dam | Sandoval | | $73 | |
| Gonzales-Gurule | Flume | Rio Arriba | | $60 | |
| La Mesilla | Ditch lining | Rio Arriba | | | |
| Gallegos Ditch | Grade Stab. | Lincoln | | $8 | |
| F. Sanchez | Diversion dam | Lincoln | | $25 | |
| de Los Trujillos | Pipeline | Santa Fe | | $10 | |
| Ortiz de Nambe | Diversion dam | Santa Fe | | $250 |
Next: Appendix V: Status of Hydrographic Surveys
Previous: Appendix III: ISC-Review of Endangered Species Issues