First of all, apologies for the long interval and delay in this latest post. I had hoped to keep posting at a pace of about one comment per month, and administrative duties have taken their toll on this blog. But there's big news out from this past week, for all New Mexicans, even if the Aamodt-Abeyta settlements (for the Pojoaque Valley and Taos Valley, respectively) are supposed to be constrained to those water basins. The effects simply won't be.
Funding for the settlement was approved on November 30th by the U.S. House of Representatives after already clearing the Senate, and it has money attached.
The timing is tight, and frankly, lucky for those people who would fashion themselves as 'proponents' of the settlement. The legal team at the Office of the State Engineer must be relieved, if not overjoyed, that these old adjudications are seemingly put to rest. It puts to rest two of the longest running court processes in United States history, and will re-configure the
"active adjudications" map (the one posted is from 2003).
Oh, there's only one catch, a new $81 million regional water system, to divert water from the Rio Grande, for the Pojoaque Valley and largely its non-Pueblo population. The reactions are mixed, and long-term observers remain skeptical of how 'optional' the hook-up to the water line will actually be if and when the system is actually built. Will the bill provide relief for Pueblo and non-Pueblo residents? Will it help, in any way, the environmental in-stream flow, of the Pojoaque River itself? I leave you with a typical
photo of the Pojoaque taken in October of 2009. Until next time, and this time, I promise to post sooner!
First of all, apologies for the long interval and delay in this latest post. I had hoped to keep posting at a pace of about one comment per month, and administrative duties have taken their toll on this blog. But there's big news out from this past week, for all New Mexicans, even if the Aamodt-Abeyta settlements (for the Pojoaque Valley and Taos Valley, respectively) are supposed to be constrained to those water basins. The effects simply won't be. Funding for the settlement was approved on November 30th by the U.S. House of Representatives after already clearing the Senate, and it has money attached. 
Oh, there's only one catch, a new $81 million regional water system, to divert water from the Rio Grande, for the Pojoaque Valley and largely its non-Pueblo population. The reactions are mixed, and long-term observers remain skeptical of how 'optional' the hook-up to the water line will actually be if and when the system is actually built. Will the bill provide relief for Pueblo and non-Pueblo residents? Will it help, in any way, the environmental in-stream flow, of the Pojoaque River itself? I leave you with a typical photo of the Pojoaque taken in October of 2009. Until next time, and this time, I promise to post sooner! 
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