ALBUQUERQUE BERNALILLO COUNTY
WATER UTILITY AUTHORITY
BILL NO. R-25-45
RESOLUTION
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Authorizing the Approval of the Storage Agreements Between the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority and Los Alamos County, City of Espanola, Town of Bernalillo, and Village of Taos Ski Valley for Storage in Abiquiu Reservoir on Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority Easements and Fee Simple Property
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WHEREAS, Congress authorized the Secretary of the Army to enter into agreements with entities for storage of 200,000 acre-feet of San Juan-Chama water in Abiquiu Reservoir in Public Law 97-140; and
WHEREAS, P.L. 97-140 specified that the storage of San Juan-Chama water in Abiquiu Reservoir shall not interfere with the authorized purposes of the project and shall include a requirement that each user of storage space shall pay any increase in operation and maintenance costs attributable to the storage of that user’s water; and
WHEREAS, in P.L. 116-260 Congress amended P.L. 97-140 and P.L. 100-522 to allow concurrent storage of San Juan-Chama and native Rio Grande system water in Abiquiu Reservoir up to elevation 6230.00 NGVD29; and
WHEREAS, P.L. 116-260 required that each user of storage space, regardless of source of water, pay for any increase in costs attributable to storage of that user’s water; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 337 the Department of the Army and the Water Authority entered into a new agreement for storage space at Abiquiu Reservoir that was signed June 26, 2024, which allows for storage by the Water Authority of San Juan-Chama project water or native Rio Grande system water in Abiquiu Reservoir up to elevation 6230.00 NGVD29, and use of such storage by the Water Authority (known as the “Water Authority’s contracted storage space”); and
WHEREAS, the June 26, 2024, water storage agreement recognizes that 29,100 acre-feet of storage space is to be set aside for storage by other San Juan Chama contractors (known as the “USACE/Contractors’ pool”); and
WHEREAS, the Water Authority has acquired easements, fee simple property or other real property interests at and along the perimeter of Abiquiu Reservoir up to the elevation 6230.00 NGVD29 (the Water Authority’s “Property”) as necessary to store San Juan-Chama or Native Rio Grande System water pursuant to the requirements of P.L 116-260; and
WHEREAS, the Los Alamos County, City of Espanola, Town of Bernalillo, and Village of Taos Ski Valley store their proportional share of 29,100 acre-feet set aside for non-Water Authority Abiquiu Reservoir Contractors on Water Authority property; now.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE WATER AUTHORITY:
Section 1. The Executive Director is authorized to negotiate and enter agreements with the Los Alamos County, City of Espanola, Town of Bernalillo, and Village of Taos Ski Valley for the storage of 3,965 acre-feet, 3,297acre-feet, 1,319 acre-feet, and 49 acre-feet, respectively, within the Water Authority’s property at Abiquiu Reservoir.