Jeff Bingaman United States Senator from New Mexico

U.S. SENATOR Jeff Bingaman

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Eastern New Mexico Rural Water System Development

Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, today, I am introducing a bill, with Senator Domenici's support, that would authorize the Bureau of Reclamation to help communities in eastern New Mexico develop the Eastern New Mexico Rural Water System, ENMRWS. The water supply and long-term security to be made available by this project is absolutely critical to the region's future. I look forward to working with my colleagues here in the Senate to help make this project a reality.

This is the third time this bill has been introduced. In June 2004, it was the subject of a hearing before the Water & Power Subcommittee of the Energy & Natural Resources Committee. At that hearing, the Bureau of Reclamation raised a number of issues that needed to be addressed by the Project sponsors prior to securing Reclamation's support. Last August, the Energy & Natural Resources Committee conducted a field hearing on the project in Clovis, New Mexico, and it was clear that the sponsors have worked diligently to address the issues raised by Reclamation. Given that progress and the broad support that exists for the project, it is time to move forward with Federal authorization under Reclamation's rural water program. 

The source of water for the ENMRWS is Ute Reservoir, a facility constructed by the State of New Mexico in the early 1960s. In 1966, Congress authorized Reclamation to study the feasibility of a project that would utilize Ute Reservoir to supply water to communities in eastern New Mexico, P.L. 89-561. Numerous studies were completed, but it was not until recently that several communities, concerned about their reliance on declining and degraded groundwater supplies in the area, began to plan seriously for the development of a regional water system that would make use of the renewable supply available from Ute Reservoir. 

As part of that process, the Eastern New Mexico Rural Water Authority was formed to carry out the development of the ENMRWS. The Authority consists of six communities and two counties in eastern New Mexico, and has been very effective in securing local funds and State funding to support the studies and planning necessary to move the project forward. To date, the State of New Mexico has provided approximately $7.5 million to develop the ENMRWS. 

Mr. President, this is a very important bill to the citizens of New Mexico. It has the broad support of the communities in the region as well as financial support from the State of New Mexico. There is no question that completion of the ENMRWS will provide communities in Curry and Roosevelt counties with a long-term renewable source of water that is needed to sustain current economic activity and support future development in the region. I hope my colleagues will support this legislation and help address one of the many pressing water needs in the rural West.