AdLP Mayordomo: Mark Herrera |
AdLP Treasurer: Karen Martinez |
AdLP Chairman: Tim Martinez |
AdLP Secretary: Deborah Bennett |
The 2021 AdLP irrigation season has arrived! Our Mayordomo, Mark Herrera, started the annual Spring Acequia Cleanup activities on March 1st. Cleaning and preparing the acequia normally takes 2-3 weeks, so irrigation water should be available by April 1st! As we move closer to planting, we must work together to effectively use our limited irrigation water.
Irrigation Rules: Please do your part towards
promoting a good irrigation season for everyone by following these
simple rules. Thanks.
Each parciante is responsible for maintaining his/her own headgate such that irrigation water flow can be controlled.
Each parciante must pay an annual assessment to pay for the operation, maintenance, repair and improvement of our Acequia, including compensation for the Mayordomo, and must be paid regardless of whether you choose to irrigate or not. The assessment is based on acreage, and must be paid to have access to irrigation water. Please note that the Mayordomo works with the AdLP Treasurer to maintain a list of parciantes who have/have not paid their annual assessment.
Communicating with our AdLP parciantes is important, especially if we need to contact you rapidly! We have “snail mail” addresses for most folks because that’s where your annual assessment bill is sent. Please send your email address and phone number to secretary@acequiadelapuebla.org to provide a quicker, more reliable, form of communication. Your contact information will be handled discreetly, but communication should be increased! Also, mark the the AdLP website (http://acequiadelapuebla.org/) as a favorite to keep track of the latest AdLP news!
At their monthly meeting in February 2021, Santa Cruz Irrigation District 15 informed its 28 acequias that the water level at Santa Cruz Dam is within a foot of the top, and that the snow pack in the mountains implies a viable irrigation season. However, even if there is an adequate supply of AdLP irrigation water through the 2021 season, all parciantes should remember that New Mexico is experiencing various drought intensities. According to www.drought.gov and the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) almost 49% of Rio Arriba County and and 100% of Santa Fe County are at the highest intensity of drought, D4 Exceptional Drought.
We should not forget that irrigation water from the Santa Cruz dam stopped in mid-August 2020, leaving many parciantes unable to water crops that weren’t ready for harvest.
The agreement made last year, such that the Vigils would provide the engineering and construction necessary to return the arroyo on their property to its original flow path, has been breached. Motions for Summary Judgement have been submitted to rectify the situation. In the mea time, the AdLP has assumed responsibility for the actions necessary on the arroyo.