About Us

Rio Grande Water Rights Association
PO Box 86
Socorro, NM 87801
Protect@RGWaterRights.org

The Rio Grande Water Rights Association is a grass-roots organization founded and organized by local people.

Current Board Members are: Suzanne Smith, President; Martin Haynes, Vice-President; Scott Edeal, Secretary; Dick Ritter, Treasurer; Dan Bracken, Corky Herkenhoff, Christine Kurtnaker, Karen McAda, Mike Mechenbier, Ted Roybal, Chris Sichler, Donna Voelker, and Jimi Sue Rodgers.

The organization is an advocacy group for all New Mexico water users in the Middle Rio Grande Valley: agricultural, municipal, industrial and individual.


The mission of the Rio Grande Water Rights Association is to promote the wise management and stewardship of the State's water resources of the benefit of New Mexico's present and future population.

Under this mission, the Rio Grande Water Rights Association pledges to help protect the water rights of individuals and entities, to ensure due process and procedure to changes in water rights ownership and use, to maximize, under the law, water rights for the benefit of all New Mexico, and to work for equitable administration of water rights and water usage.

In support of this mission, the RGWRA:

• Provides a forum where the water users strive to reach consensus on water issues.
• Advocates positions on water policy.
• Provides education and information on water issues affecting New Mexico.
• Promotes a broad base of membership.
• Cooperates with the State Engineer to promote policies favorable to water users.
• Supports the mission of the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District.

General Policies

Policy Objectives

• To support active leadership of the Association.
• To support necessary funding for water resource development projects required for beneficial use by the people of New Mexico and for protection of New Mexico's water resources.
• To support efforts to meet the long-term demands of population growth in a manner that minimizes the reallocation of water from existing beneficial uses.
• To support that water apportioned pursuant to interstate compacts is held by the individual states in the amount apportioned by the compacts and the law of the river.

Water Conservation

• To strongly support water conservation and the careful management and use of the state's water resources, and
• To urge the state and local government to fulfill their responsibility for water conservation planning and implementation and
• To oppose the federalization of New Mexico's water.

Public Trust Doctrine

• New Mexico's prior appropriation doctrine has proven its ability to accommodate, protect and balance water for consumptive use and environmental purposes. The public trust doctrine conflicts with the prior appropriation doctrine and should be vigorously opposed.

Office of the State Engineer and Interstate Stream Commission

• The RGWRA supports a public process by the OSE for any new or revised policies or procedures to include publication with justification, input by user groups and resolution of user groups concerns.
• The RGWRA supports uniform application of OSE policies and procedures throughout the state unless specific basin conditions warrant otherwise.
• The RGWRA promotes the recognition of the doctrine of prior appropriation and the role of pre-1907 surface water and pre-basin groundwater rights in the State Water Plan.

Transfer of Water within New Mexico

• The RGWRA urges all citizens and the legislature to allow the movement of water to places of beneficial use consistent with existing legal principles and a free market.
• The RGWRA promotes short-term water transfers that maximize water availability during temporary water shortages.
• The RGWRA supports the use of water banking to promote the conservation of water while ensuring the protection of existing water rights.

Endangered & Declining Species

• The RGWRA supports reasonable funding and other efforts for the preservation of habitat in order to prevent the decline of native species. The RGWRA also supports the state's participation in federal endangered species cooperative agreements and recovery programs and therefore urges continued funding as appropriate.

Constitutional Reform

• The RGWRA supports an effort to amend the state constitution to raise the standards for amending the constitution.

Adequate Appropriations for State Agencies

• The RGWRA supports sufficient appropriations and adequate fee-based revenue to permit the state to continue water resources administration, adjudication, protection, development and conservation.

Infrastructure

• The RGWRA urges consideration of an amendment to the New Mexico Constitution that will provide assurances that any funds raised by state bonding authority will inure to the benefit of citizens located in all geographical areas of the state.

Policies Related to the Federal Government

Protection of State Water Interests

• The RGWRA urges:
• The members of the New Mexico Congressional Delegation to oppose any proposed federal law and any administrative action relative to federal law, which will impede or impair the allocation and beneficial use of the water of the State of New Mexico, pursuant to the laws of the state, and rights thereunder; and
• Congress to adopt clarifying provisions in all environmental legislation, including reform of the Endangered Species Act and the Clean Water Act, which recognize the importance of water use and development to the economic well-being of the people in the water-short areas of the West and to reconfirm the intent of Congress that state law shall control and determine the allocation of all water use within the State of New Mexico.
• Congress and federal agencies, in adopting and implementing federal programs, to respect local land use decision-.making authority.

Federally Imposed Flow Requirement

• The RGWRA urges that Congress and the courts clarify that federal agencies have no authority to demand or require the bypass of appropriated water or otherwise interfere with appropriated rights and recognized beneficial used of water in New Mexico.
• The current instream flow appropriation shall not be the basis for the imposition, by the federal government or others, of a bypass flow below a reservoir in excess of the reservoir's release requirement as established in accordance with state water law. The RGWRA will adopt a policy in accordance with this resolution.

Wilderness and Federal Reserved Water Rights

• The RGWRA shall oppose:
• Legislation which would create additional wilderness, national conservation or national recreation areas, national wildlife or other federal reservations of land in New Mexico unless it disclaims federal reserved water rights or otherwise accommodates and pays due deference to the water needs and interests of all New Mexico citizens;

Endangered Species Act

• The RGWRA supports balanced legislation for reasonable protection of endangered species and their habitats. Any reform of the Endangered Species Act or administrative reforms should:
• Provide reasonable certainty to property owners, including owners of water rights that their rights will not be compromised;
• Obtain any desired in-stream flows pursuant to state and local law;
• Provide fair and timely compensation for the taking of water rights; and,
• Mandate specific criteria for species recovery, including identified species recovery by numbers.