[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 53 (Friday, April 4, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E505]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E505]]



  INTRODUCING EASTERN NEW MEXICO RURAL WATER SYSTEM AUTHORIZATION ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. TOM UDALL

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 3, 2008

  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Madam Speaker, today I am very pleased to 
introduce a bill that will authorize the Bureau of Reclamation to help 
communities in eastern New Mexico develop the Eastern New Mexico Rural 
Water System, ENMRWS. A companion to this bill is being introduced 
today in the Senate by my colleagues Senator Bingaman and Senator 
Domenici. There has long been a recognized need for a reliable and safe 
supply of potable water for eastern New Mexico. After years of drought 
and ever-increasing population growth, this water supply project is now 
absolutely critical for the continued economic well-being of Curry, 
Roosevelt, and Quay counties in eastern New Mexico.
  The Entrada and the Southern High Plains, or Ogallala, aquifers 
currently provide 100 percent of the municipal and industrial water 
supplies and the vast majority of agricultural water for communities in 
these east-central New Mexico counties. However, both the quantity and 
quality of these ground water reserves have declined severely in recent 
decades. Despite voluntary conservation efforts and improvements in 
agricultural water-use efficiencies, these ground water supplies will 
not sustain current use levels in as little as 12 years, and may be 
functionally depleted within 25 years.
  The water supply project authorized by this legislation builds upon 
more than 40 years of research, planning, and design. In 1959, after 
recognizing the water supply problems in eastern New Mexico, the New 
Mexico Legislature and Interstate Stream passed an Act authorizing the 
State Engineer to construct a dam on the Canadian River, thus 
establishing the the Reservoir. Since 1966, numerous congressionally-
authorized studies have investigated the feasibility of a project that 
would utilize the Ute Reservoir as a reliable water supply for 
communities in eastern New Mexico. Finally, in the late 1990s, several 
communities, concerned about the increasingly urgent need, came 
together to begin planning for the development of a regional water 
system.
  The Eastern New Mexico Rural Water Supply Authority, consisting of 
nine communities in the Curry, Roosevelt and Quay counties of eastern 
New Mexico, was formed in 2001 to oversee the development of the 
ENMRWS. This authority has expeditiously and effectively finalized the 
studies and planning necessary to move forward with this project.
  Madam Speaker, as you can see from this brief history, the citizens 
of eastern New Mexico have both proven the critical need and completed 
the necessary steps to form the basis for a project of this magnitude. 
This project is not new, and the need for water is becoming 
increasingly more urgent. In fact, I introduced this bill with my New 
Mexico Colleagues in the Senate in both the 108th and 109th Congresses. 
In the 108th Congress the Senate Subcommittee on Water and Power in the 
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources held a hearing on the bill, 
which I understand brought out some very positive support and feedback. 
Since that time, the need for this project has only become greater and 
support for the venture has continued to increase in the local 
communities and State government.
  Without this project, it is clear that this important region will 
suffer economically. We cannot stand by and watch vibrant communities 
dissolve into western ghost towns, especially when solutions exist. I 
sincerely hope my colleagues will support this legislation and help 
provide a positive, long-term solution to a pressing water need in the 
rural West. This legislation represents the important next step toward 
addressing the overarching issue of water in the and West.

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