I've been remiss. A few developments have occurred in New Mexico, mostly the passing of the
Lower Rio Grande adjudication court deadline for the state (NM) to offer the feds (Reclamation) a quantified water right, and that date passed (April 8th). That quantified number will occur whether or not the Reclamation folks actually had or acquired (legally) such water rights at the time that Elephant Butte Dam was constructed. As always, the good folks at Jicarita have been watching this closely. And see
Sig Silber's story about the LRG and the ongoing dispute about whether EBID was founded as part of an illegal 'taking' of a private dam and canal company. Hot stuff - and there's an update, too, on LRG proceedings
here.
Good news for irrigators in most of New Mexico is that the winter snowpack has piled up, thanks to ENSO, and unless all that snow melts in June, farmers and ranchers should have a decent 2010 growing season. Most of the
canals are cleaned around the state, or in the process of getting the
limpieza done soon so that the season can begin (in earnest) during May. Hopefully I can get down for
San Isidro (May 15).
Two other pieces of news that will be of interest to some readers: first,
Floyd Dominy, the self-proclaimed messiah (his words) of the Bureau of Reclamation,
is dead at 100. A tough old bastard who stuck to his guns and his beliefs all of his life, his legacy lives on, etched in the mammoth concrete elephants sprinkled liberally around the American West. Vegas would not be what it is today without Dominy, and probably half a dozen cities would have been severely curtailed along the way without his presence. The second news item that caught my attention was the one on the challenges of the
Open Meetings Act in New Mexico. It's not just acequias that have trouble complying with the state law -
read on for more in a variety of agencies that struggle with OMA. Weber would be proud. A more substantive, and focused, piece is incoming within the week. Stay tuned....acequieros!
I've been remiss. A few developments have occurred in New Mexico, mostly the passing of the Lower Rio Grande adjudication court deadline for the state (NM) to offer the feds (Reclamation) a quantified water right, and that date passed (April 8th). That quantified number will occur whether or not the Reclamation folks actually had or acquired (legally) such water rights at the time that Elephant Butte Dam was constructed. As always, the good folks at Jicarita have been watching this closely. And see Sig Silber's story about the LRG and the ongoing dispute about whether EBID was founded as part of an illegal 'taking' of a private dam and canal company. Hot stuff - and there's an update, too, on LRG proceedings here.
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