SM 49 — "ACEQUIA DAY"

SENATEA MEMORIAL 49DECLARING 54THFEBRUARY LEGISLATURE-5, STATE OF NEW MEXICO - FIRST SESSIO, 2019 INTRODUCED"ACEQUIA BYDAY" CarlosIN R.THE SENATE;

Cisneros and Pete Campos 6 8 10 A MEMORIAL DECLARING FEBRUARY 5, 2019 "ACEQUIA DAY" IN THE SENATE;

e8 t 17 WHEREAS, for generations, acequias have supported a way of w l n d 18 life centered around local agriculture and customs of sharing = = 19 a l water;

and i a e r 20 WHEREAS, acequias are a centuries-old form of water a t m m 21 governance in New Mexico that have created a cultural landscape d r e 22 with a web of waterways that nurture tens of thousands of acres c e s k 23 of farmland;

and e a n b 24 WHEREAS, acequia customs and traditions regarding u [ agriculture, seed saving, irrigation practices and food .213311.1 preservation are important aspects of the cultural heritage of New Mexico;

and WHEREAS, acequias and community ditches number over seven hundred in New Mexico with each one governed, operated SM 49 and maintained by elected commissioners and mayordomos;

and Page 1 WHEREAS, the role of acequias in local governance has been affirmed by laws enacted by the state of New Mexico recognizing acequias as political subdivisions and enabling acequias to have important powers in local water management;

and WHEREAS, for more than fifty years, acequias have come together to protect and defend water rights, advocate for water policies strengthening acequia governance and support funding e e 17 programs for acequia infrastructure;

and e e n d 18 WHEREAS, the New Mexico acequia association was = = l ] 19 established in 1989 to advocate for water policy beneficial to a l r i 20 acequias, and the acequia commission was created in statute in t e a t 1993 to serve as an advisory body in state government;

and m m 21 e d r e 22 WHEREAS, hydrological studies by the New Mexico water c e r c 23 resources research institute at New Mexico state university e a n b 24 have documented hydrological benefits of acequias, including u [ aquifer recharge through earthen ditches;

and .213311.1 - 2 - WHEREAS, as water management is complicated by long-term drought and increasing demands for water, acequias will continue to be important in any decisions about water policy at the local and state levels;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that February 5, 2019 be declared "Acequia Day" in the senate in honor of the contributions of SM 49 Page 2 acequias to the history, culture, economy and management of water resources in New Mexico;

and e e 17 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be e e n d 18 transmitted to the New Mexico acequia association and the = = l ] 19 acequia commission.

aSM l49 rPage i 20 - 3 -25 t e a t m m 21 e d r e 22 c e r c 23 e a n b 24 u [ .213311.1