Rep. Stansbury on Water Resources Development (WRDA) Submissions

February 16, 2024
Press Release

WASHINGTON — U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury (N.M.-01) submitted 18 requests for the Water Resource Development Act (WRDA). The submissions include a comprehensive plan to address and improve water safety concerns in New Mexico. Every two years, WRDA provides authorization for activities of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) in their work build sustainable infrastructure to meet New Mexico’s water management needs, support the restoration of our ecosystems, and reduce the damages caused by floods.

“New Mexicans know that water is life, and that we must protect our clean water at all costs,” said Rep. Stansbury. “As we consider the Water Resources Development Act, communities across the Southwest are gripped by the impacts of historic drought and hydrologic change. That is why I’m requesting the addition of 18 community-driven, science-based proposals to protect public health, preserve the environment, promote sustainable water management, and other projects in New Mexico.” 

Rep. Stansbury submitted the following:

  • Bernalillo Wastewater Treatment Improvement Program – This improvement program will plan, design, construct, purchase, replace, and install improvements to the wastewater treatment plant in the town of Bernalillo in Sandoval County.  

  • Village of Bosque Farms Wastewater Treatment Improvement Program – Representative Stansbury requested funding for recommended improvements to the wastewater treatment plant in the Village of Bosque Farms in Valencia County, NM. 

  • Inclusion of the Water Data Act – This bill unlocks the power of data and technology to transform water management across the country by putting data and science into the hands of communities, farmers, and water managers.  

  • Indian Water Rights Settlements – The New Mexico delegation has introduced several pieces of legislation to approve water rights settlements and technical amendments to existing settlements for tribes located in part or whole across New Mexico and surrounding states. These settlements will provide a framework and the resources to protect Pueblo water rights and meet community water needs. 

  • Increased funding for acequias – Hydrologic change has resulted in considerable stress on acequia systems and degraded their natural resiliency. Representative Stansbury requested to increase funding for our acequia systems and make existing funding easier for communities to access.  

  • Increased funding for the Tribal Partnership Program – The Tribal Partnership Program is the only Corps authority that specifically targets Tribes as partners, identifying opportunities to work with entities that otherwise might not be reached. The program has supported numerous critically important flood control projects on tribal lands in New Mexico.  

  • Require Authorized Updated Estancia Hydrologic Analysis to be completed by 2026 – Representative Stansbury secured authorization for an updated hydrologic analysis for the town of Estancia in WRDA 2022. In order to ensure that our communities are at the top of the priority list, Representative Stansbury requested that the study be completed within two years. 

  • Pueblo Irrigation Infrastructure Improvement Program – Representative Stansbury continues to fight for additional funding for Reclamation’s Pueblo Irrigation Infrastructure Fund to address the infrastructure needs of these projects, which are so vital to the economic, cultural, and environmental resilience of our Pueblo Tribal communities in the Rio Grande Basin. 

  • Improving Wildfire Resilience in the Rio Grande Bosque – Reducing fuel loads in the Rio Grande bosque and improving access will help the area reduce fire risks and address. Representative Stansbury requested $15 million for appropriate planning, design, and construction measures for wildfire prevention and restoration, including the removal of jetty jacks, in the Middle Rio Grande bosque.  

  • Establish a Corps Navigator Program to Help Communities Access Assistance and Funding – Representative Stansbury requested the Corps establish community navigator positions to assist rural and small communities with finding and securing Corps funding opportunities.  

  • Prioritize Kirtland Air Force Base Fuel Cleanup – The US Army Corps of Engineers has been working with the Air Force to clean up a decades-long fuel leak into the groundwater beneath Albuquerque. Representative Stansbury requested the Corps to prioritize and expedite this work to ensure our communities have safe and clean drinking water.  

  • Increase Funding for Section 595 Program for Western Rural Water – Representative Stansbury requested an additional $20 million for this program that funds drinking water, wastewater, and storm water projects in six Western states, including New Mexico.  

  • National Academy of Sciences Rio Grande Basin Management Study – This study will help water managers throughout the Rio Grande Basin improve management flexibility and water security. Modern, flexible management of the Rio Grande River is critical to New Mexico’s long-term water security in the face of climate change and crucial to sustaining New Mexico communities’ cultures, traditions, and ways of life.

  • Partnering with National Labs and other Federal Agencies for Cost-Effective Modeling – This request is to allow the Corps to work with our National Labs, colleges, and universities to create better water models for water resource planning.  

  • Improve Water Supply Management and Resilience for the Corps – This request would allow the Corps to react the needs of today’s communities in an era of unprecedented climate change by managing for water supply, including water conservation. 

  • Allow the Corps to work with local non-federal sponsors to design and construct Environmental Infrastructure projects – This request will provide additional flexibility to the Corps on working with local non-federal sponsors on the design and construction of Environmental Infrastructure projects. 

  • Nambe River Watershed Restoration – This request is to authorize funding for the Corps to analyze and develop a plan for watershed restoration in the Nambe River Watershed to address post-fire debris and sediment deposits after the 2012 Pacheco Fire and 2022 Rio en Medio Fire. 

  • Comprehensive stormwater master plan for Doña Ana County – This request is to authorize the US Army Corps to perform a comprehensive stormwater master plan for Doña Ana County focused on water capture, infiltration, and use. 

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