Real estate titles and acequias

A recent post on the TVAA pages caught my eye, written by a real estate agent based in Espanola. It reads nicely, and it's meant for a wider audience looking to buy property. This is not an anti-property, anti-real estate screed, it's merely a reminder. One of the easiest ways to protect acequias as a ditch, institution, and their important easements is to spread the word about them prior to new property ownership. While I can appreciate this column for what it is, a kind of public-service announcement meets real estate moxy, how many people will stumble on this? Will the dude from Minnesota find this post or clipping from the paper?

Wouldn't acequias in the region be better served if property title codes or statutes were changed to protect the ditch and institution? This way local knowledge could be incorporated into title deeds. Or at least it lays the groundwork for better neighborly interactions if a purchaser has a heads-up.

I've mentioned this in passing to several organizations, including NMAA and NMAC reps, and it might be worth pursuing. If, for example, on the signing of a new deed to property in, say, Chama, there was a big fat warning on the deed itself about the acequia and the rights and responsibilities of the new owner.... wouldn't that be useful? This seems to be one minor, but significant, improvement that could be taken to let newcomers "in" on the secret of acequias and why they are worth preserving in New Mexico. I welcome comments.