ALBUQUERQUE BERNALILLO COUNTY
WATER UTILITY AUTHORITY
BILL NO. R-25-25
RESOLUTION
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Authorizing the Executive Director to Enter Into An Agreement With The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation To Suballot Storage Space In Abiquiu Reservoir
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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, Public Law l00-522 (October 24, 1988) and Section 337 of the Water Resources Development Act of 2020 (Division AA of Public Law 116-260) modified the authorization in Public Law 97-140 to allow concurrent storage of San Juan-Chama Project water 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, on June 26, 2024, the USACE and the Water Authority entered into a Water Storage Agreement for the concurrent storage of SJCP and native Rio Grande system water within its Property in Abiquiu Reservoir up to a maximum elevation of 6230.00 NGVD29, which superseded the San Juan-Chama Contract No. DACW47-86-C-0009, dated March 20, 1986; and
WHEREAS, the Water Authority has acquired easements and fee simple property up to elevation 6230.00 NGVD29 in Abiquiu Reservoir; and
WHEREAS, Reclamation is subject to the 2016 Biological Opinion (BO) issued by the US Fish and Wildlife Service in accordance with the Endangered Species Act of December 28, 1973 (87 Stat. 884) (16 U.S.C. ?? 1531-1543, particularly Section 1536(a)(1)); and
WHEREAS, while Reclamation and its 2016 BO partners seek permanent strategies for managing the existing limited water s...
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