[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 363 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







104th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 363

 To improve water quality within the Rio Puerco watershed, New Mexico, 
and to help restore the ecological health of the Rio Grande through the 
   cooperative identification and implementation of best management 
    practices that are consistent with the ecological, geological, 
cultural, sociological, and economic conditions in the region, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

             February 7 (legislative day, January 30), 1995

 Mr. Bingaman (for himself and Mr. Domenici) introduced the following 
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                           Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To improve water quality within the Rio Puerco watershed, New Mexico, 
and to help restore the ecological health of the Rio Grande through the 
   cooperative identification and implementation of best management 
    practices that are consistent with the ecological, geological, 
cultural, sociological, and economic conditions in the region, and for 
                            other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Rio Puerco Watershed Act of 1995''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) over time, extensive ecological changes have occurred 
        in the Rio Puerco watershed, including--
                    (A) erosion of agricultural and range lands;
                    (B) impairment of waters due to heavy 
                sedimentation;
                    (C) reduced productivity of renewable resources;
                    (D) loss of biological diversity;
                    (E) loss of functioning riparian areas; and
                    (F) loss of available surface water;
            (2) damage to the watershed has seriously affected the 
        economic and cultural well-being of its inhabitants, 
        including--
                    (A) loss of communities that were based on the land 
                and were self-sustaining; and
                    (B) adverse effects on the traditions, customs, and 
                cultures of the affected communities;
            (3) a healthy and sustainable ecosystem is essential to the 
        long-term economic and cultural viability of the region;
            (4) the impairment of the Rio Puerco watershed has caused 
        damage to the ecological and economic well-being of the area 
        below the junction of the Rio Puerco with the Rio Grande, 
        including--
                    (A) disruption of ecological processes;
                    (B) water quality impairment;
                    (C) significant reduction in the water storage 
                capacity and life expectancy of the Elephant Butte Dam 
                and Reservoir system due to sedimentation;
                    (D) chronic problems of irrigation system channel 
                maintenance; and
                    (E) increased risk of flooding caused by sediment 
                accumulation;
            (5) the Rio Puerco is a major tributary of the Rio Grande, 
        and the coordinated implementation of ecosystem-based best 
        management practices for the Rio Puerco system could benefit 
        the larger Rio Grande system;
            (6) the Rio Puerco watershed has been stressed from the 
        loss of native vegetation, introduction of exotic species, and 
        alteration of riparian habitat which have disrupted the 
        original dynamics of the river and disrupted natural ecological 
        processes;
            (7) the Rio Puerco watershed is a mosaic of private, 
        Federal, tribal trust, and State land ownership with diverse, 
        sometimes differing management objectives;
            (8) development, implementation, and monitoring of an 
        effective watershed management program for the Rio Puerco 
        watershed is best achieved through cooperation among affected 
        Federal, State, local, and tribal entities;
            (9) the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the 
        Director of the Bureau of Land Management, in consultation with 
        Federal, State, local, and tribal entities and in cooperation 
        with the Rio Puerco Watershed Committee, is best suited to 
        coordinate management efforts in the Rio Puerco watershed; and
            (10) accelerating the pace of improvement in the Rio Puerco 
        watershed on a coordinated, cooperative basis will benefit 
        persons living in the watershed as well as downstream users on 
        the Rio Grande.

SEC. 3. MANAGEMENT PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of the Interior, acting through the 
Director of the Bureau of Land Management shall--
            (1) in consultation with the Rio Puerco Management 
        Committee established by section 4--
                    (A) establish a clearinghouse for research and 
                information on management within the area identified as 
                the Rio Puerco Drainage Basin, as depicted on the map 
                entitled ``The Rio Puerco Watershed'' dated June 1994, 
                including--
                            (i) current and historical natural resource 
                        conditions; and
                            (ii) data concerning the extent and causes 
                        of watershed impairment; and
                    (B) establish an inventory of best management 
                practices and related monitoring activities that have 
                been or may be implemented within the area identified 
                as the Rio Puerco Watershed Project, as depicted on the 
                map entitled ``The Rio Puerco Watershed'' dated June 
                1994; and
            (2) provide support to the Rio Puerco Management Committee 
        to identify objectives, monitor results of ongoing projects, 
        and develop alternative watershed management plans for the Rio 
        Puerco Drainage Basin, based on best management practices.
    (b) Rio Puerco Management Report.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior, in 
        consultation with the Rio Puerco Management Committee, shall 
        prepare a report for the improvement of watershed conditions in 
        the Rio Puerco Drainage Basin described in subsection (a)(1).
            (2) Contents.--The report under paragraph (1) shall--
                    (A) identify reasonable and appropriate goals and 
                objectives for landowners and managers in the Rio 
                Puerco watershed;
                    (B) describe potential alternative actions to meet 
                the goals and objectives, including proven best 
                management practices and costs associated with 
                implementing the actions;
                    (C) recommend voluntary implementation of 
                appropriate best management practices on public and 
                private lands;
                    (D) provide for cooperative development of 
                management guidelines for maintaining and improving the 
                ecological, cultural, and economic conditions on public 
                and private lands;
                    (E) provide for the development of public 
                participation and community outreach programs that 
                would include proposals for--
                            (i) cooperative efforts with private 
                        landowners to encourage implementation of best 
                        management practices within the watershed; and
                            (ii) involvement of private citizens in 
                        restoring the watershed;
                    (F) provide for the development of proposals for 
                voluntary cooperative programs among the members of the 
                Rio Puerco Management Committee to implement best 
                management practices in a coordinated, consistent, and 
                cost-effective manner;
                    (G) provide for the encouragement of, and support 
                implementation of, best management practices on private 
                lands; and
                    (H) provide for the development of proposals for a 
                monitoring system that--
                            (i) builds on existing data available from 
                        private, Federal, and State sources;
                            (ii) provides for the coordinated 
                        collection, evaluation, and interpretation of 
                        additional data as needed or collected; and
                            (iii) will provide information to--
                                    (I) assess existing resource and 
                                socioeconomic conditions;
                                    (II) identify priority 
                                implementation actions; and
                                    (III) assess the effectiveness of 
                                actions taken.

SEC. 4. RIO PUERCO MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established the Rio Puerco Management 
Committee (referred to in this section as the ``Committee'').
    (b) Membership.--The Committee shall be convened by a 
representative of the Bureau of Land Management and shall include 
representatives from--
            (1) the Rio Puerco Watershed Committee;
            (2) affected tribes and pueblos;
            (3) the National Forest Service of the Department of 
        Agriculture;
            (4) the Bureau of Reclamation;
            (5) the United States Geological Survey;
            (6) the Bureau of Indian Affairs;
            (7) the United States Fish and Wildlife Service;
            (8) the Army Corps of Engineers;
            (9) the Natural Resources Conservation Service of the 
        Department of Agriculture;
            (10) the State of New Mexico, including the New Mexico 
        Environment Department and the State Engineer;
            (11) affected local soil and water conservation districts;
            (12) the Elephant Butte Irrigation District;
            (13) private landowners; and
            (14) other interested citizens.
    (c) Duties.--The Rio Puerco Management Committee shall--
            (1) advise the Secretary of the Interior, acting through 
        the Director of the Bureau of Land Management, on the 
        development and implementation of the Rio Puerco Management 
        Program described in section 3; and
            (2) serve as a forum for information about activities that 
        may affect or further the development and implementation of the 
        best management practices described in section 3.
    (d) Termination.--The Committee shall terminate on the date that is 
10 years after the date of enactment of this Act.

SEC. 5. REPORT.

    Not later than the date that is 2 years after the date of enactment 
of this Act, and biennially thereafter, the Secretary of the Interior, 
in consultation with the Rio Puerco Management Committee, shall 
transmit to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate 
and to the Committee on Resources of the House of Representatives a 
report containing--
            (1) a summary of activities of the management program under 
        section 3; and
            (2) proposals for joint implementation efforts, including 
        funding recommendations.

SEC. 6. LOWER RIO GRANDE HABITAT STUDY.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of the Interior, in cooperation with 
appropriate State agencies, shall conduct a study of the Rio Grande 
that--
            (1) shall cover the distance from Caballo Lake to Sunland 
        Park, New Mexico; and
            (2) may cover a greater distance.
    (b) Contents.--The study under subsection (a) shall include--
            (1) a survey of the current habitat conditions of the river 
        and its riparian environment;
            (2) identification of the changes in vegetation and habitat 
        over the past 400 years and the affect of the changes on the 
        river and riparian area; and
            (3) an assessment of the feasibility, benefits, and 
        problems associated with activities to prevent further habitat 
        loss and to restore habitat through reintroduction or 
        establishment of appropriate native plant species.
    (c) Transmittal.--Not later than 3 years after the date on which 
funds are made available to carry out this Act, the Secretary of the 
Interior shall transmit the study under subsection (a) to the Committee 
on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and to the Committee on 
Resources of the House of Representatives.

SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out sections 1, 2, 
3, 4, and 5 a total of $7,500,000 for the 10 fiscal years beginning 
after the date of enactment of this Act.
                                 <all>