Albuquerque, N.M. - The Bureau of Reclamation today signed documents transferring title to part of the Middle Rio Grande Project back to the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District.
Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Tanya Trujillo signed on behalf of Reclamation and MRGCD Board Chair Karen Dunning signed on behalf of the district. This formalized phase one of the title transfer, encompassing the vast majority of MRGCD Project Works - facilities and lands - located between the southern boundary of the Pueblo of Isleta to the northern boundary of the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge.
“This transfer is a significant accomplishment for Reclamation and MRGCD and is a result of the close level of coordination and trust that has developed since 1951 when Reclamation and the district entered a contract to help rehabilitate and manage these facilities and lands," ASWS Trujillo said. “This level of cooperation and coordination has never been more important than it is today, between all of the water users and tribes on the Middle Rio Grande."
MRGCD completed repayment in 1999 and is current on its operation and maintenance payments to Reclamation. The district has had primary responsibility for operations and maintenance of the project works since the 1970s. The transfer required congressional review, which was recently completed.
Phase one of the transfer comprises two of MRGCD’s four divisions, specifically the Belen and Socorro divisions. Phase one also includes a 4-mile section of the Albuquerque Riverside Drain directly north of the Pueblo of Isleta.
“This is a major milestone for the district as receipt of full title will help provide cost-share as we begin rebuilding 42 miles of levees to achieve 100-year flood protection for constituents’ properties from Mountain View to Jarales," Board Chair Karen Dunning said. “Having title free of federal ownership provides for the district to leverage federal funding to continually invest in improving system efficiencies as we face future water supply shortages."
Reclamation will continue to have limited ownership within phase one of a few facilities and lands. Reclamation will also continue to fulfill its federal obligations throughout the project to conduct river channel maintenance to ensure efficient downstream water deliveries. MRGCD will continue to manage, use, and maintain the project for the same purposes as before title transfer, including habitat restoration sites within the Phase 1 area.
Source: Bureau of Reclamation
