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Agreement Between Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority (Water Authority) and the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District (MRGCD) for 20,000 Acre-Feet of San Juan-Chama Water
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The Water Authority and MRGCD have cooperated for decades on important water management issues in the Middle Rio Grande. In 2000, the City provided 70,000 acre-feet of San Juan-Chama water for the farmers and to provide sufficient water in the Rio Grande for endangered species purposes. An Agreed Order was signed in Federal District Court in 2000 that provided for repayment of 22,500 acre-feet of water, which the City provided to MRGCD.
Under the 2000 Agreement, MRGCD has 15-years to repay the water starting in 2008 when the Drinking Water Project came on-line. To date, the MRGCD has repaid about 20,000 acre-feet leaving approximately 50,000 acre-feet to be repaid over the next nine years.
In addition, MRGCD has borrowed San Juan-Chama water under two separate agreements totaling 35,000 acre-feet. All of that water from those two agreements has been repaid to the Water Authority.
This agreement provides for a loan of 20,000 acre-feet to MRGCD, which is to be repaid separately from the 2000 agreement. MRGCD faces significant challenges in meeting the 2014 irrigation season demands given current water supplies and recent snow pack forecasts. The payment would follow the same 15-years as the 2000 agreement ending in 2030.
The Water Authority currently has approximately 200,000 acre-feet in storage.
FISCAL IMPACT:
None