A measure designed to help New Mexico fulfill its water delivery obligations to other states has won passage in the state legislature.
SB 37 is designed to create a $15 million reserve fund that would allow for the purchase of water via the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission to be used for a variety of conservation and recreational purposes.
Sponsored by Democrat Senator Liz Stefanics, the bill has won the support of the non-profit Santa Fe-based think tank Think New Mexico, which notes that the fund will be “non-reverting” for future appropriations to the Water Strategic Reserve.
As created in 2005, the Reserve is a collection of publicly held water rights primarily designed to keep the state’s rivers flowing to meet the needs of endangered river species. The concept behind the Reserve is modeled on the federal Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
The component of the legislation addressing funding is particularly important, says Think New Mexico, “because appropriations are usually made for just one year, yet it generally takes multiple years to complete a lease or purchase of water rights for the Reserve.”
Stefanics has said that an expanded definition of what the Reserve can be used for is especially important in the summer months when state residents want to use lakes and ponds for recreational purposes.
The bill passed the House Appropriations and Finance Committee, before winning approval on March 20 in the full House on a 42 to 20 vote.
The legislation is now on its way to the desk of New Mexico Democrat Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham.
March 25, 2025
By Garry Boulard
Photo courtesy of Pixabay
