Meeting set on rules for Nambe, Pojoaque, Tesuque water district

The Office of the State Engineer will hold a public meeting Wednesday night in Pojoaque to discuss proposed rules that will govern the Nambe-Pojoaque-Tesuque water district north of Santa Fe as part of the implementation of the Aamodt water-rights settlement.

The state engineer’s regulations will oversee the distribution of surface water and groundwater in the Pojoaque Basin as laid out in the Aamodt settlement, which established priority water rights for four pueblos.

The rules, among other things, establish how groundwater and surface-water rights in the basin can be transferred.

Well users who elect to connect to the planned regional water system, also part of the Aamodt settlement, will be entitled to payment from a connection fund to be administered by Santa Fe County, according to the proposed rules.

The rules will also cover new responsibilities for mayordomos, or managers of traditional acequias. There will be annual notifications about the acreage to be irrigated under each respective ditch.

It is not clear when the proposed rules will be adopted by the state engineer; the deadline for implementation is Sept. 15. The state engineer’s informational meeting on the proposals will be held 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday in the Frank B. Lopez Auditorium at Pojoaque Valley Middle School, 1797 N.M. 502.

A public hearing on the proposed rules will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. Aug. 16 at the Bataan Building, 400 Don Gaspar Ave., in Santa Fe. People can testify in person or by email at felicity.strachan@state.nm.us.