http://youtu.be/V6rcye07DfQ
Local governments and organizations are deciding whether or not to sign on to a joint powers agreement to move forward with the New Mexico Central Arizona project, the CAP entity that will be deciding the future of the project to diver the Gila River, the last free flowing river in New Mexico.
The joint powers agreement, JPA, allows governments to work with the New Mexico CAP entity that will be working on the diversion project design. The Arizona Water Settlements Act provides $128 million for the Gila River Diversion project, but cost estimates for the project range from $900 million to $1 billion.
It’s not clear where the additional money is coming from, but there is language in the JPA that says local entities could have to help pay for the project in the future. But, without signing the agreement local governments don’t have a say in the project.
The Grant County Commission voted unanimously Thursday to sign on to the JPA, Commissioner Brett Kasten, says signing on to the JPA initially doesn’t commit them to funding the project in the future, and allows them to participate in planning.
“It was a very difficult decision,” Kasten said. “We had a lot of people here today, voiced a lot of really good reasons why not to. It came down to either being in the agreement and having a say on the changes and projects in the future, or not being in the agreement. This agreement had lots of reasons not to approve it, the only reason I went ahead and voted for it is because I do believe if your not part of the process then you will never get what you need.”
There was over 2 hours of public input at the meeting, with only one person speaking in favor of signing on to the JPA. Allyson Siwik, Executive Director of the Gila Conservation Coalition says there are still many questions that are left unanswered like the cost of the project.
“It leaves taxpayers and water users with the rest of that shortfall,” Siwik said. “$900 million, which it’s an unaffordable project. We still don’t know who wants the water, whose willing to pay for the water, how costly that water will be? All these unanswered questions, but yet local government are being forced to sign onto this CAP entity, when we have no idea what the ultimate cost will be.”
Donna Stevens, Executive Director of the Upper Gila Watershed Alliance says that it’s not clear when and if the project will ever happen.
“If we sign onto this thing we are cutting out any possibility of non diversion alternatives,” Stevens said. “Using the non-reimbursable federal funds that we already have that could be used right now for all kinds of projects that local stakeholders have proposed, so we’re tying ourselves that might never happen, and we’re going to use all of the money in planning for it, and doing studies, and we’re not going to use that money to do something that would actually benefit us right now.”
The Luna County Commission also unanimously signed on to the JPA, Luna County Manager Charles Tink Jackson says it was also important for Luna County to be part of the decision making process, especially if it could mean more water for the region.
“We live in a desert,” Jackson said. “The Luna County Commission has always looked at additional opportunities or other opportunities that we have to expand the limited water resource that we have available to us in Luna County. We have numerous scenarios in the last ten years, where we’ve had economic development opportunities that have come in, something like a Google plant that’s wanted to come in, and put there facility in our town or in our county. And we don’t have the water resources to meet their needs.”
The Silver City Town Council voted unanimously against signing on to the JPA, Councilor Guadalupe Cano says she has been against the project from the beginning, but the town council still wants to have a say in future discussions.
“We do want to have a seat at the table,” Cano said. “And then after that we directed out town manager to continue to negotiate because we still do want to know what’s going on and to possibly be involved in the future, when all of the questions are answered about where money is going to come from, how we’re going to be responsible, and what it’s going to mean for the future.”
So far 9 parties have signed onto the JPA, including county and municipal governments, irrigation ditch associations and soil and water conservation districts.
The Deming City Council is currently taking written public comment through this Friday (June 26th). The public is invited to send comments via email to deming@cityofdeming.org. The Deming City Council will vote on July 2nd.
