Acequia de La Puebla Newsletter - March 2021

AdLP Mayordomo: Mark Herrera
AdLP Treasurer: Karen Martinez
AdLP Chairman: Tim Martinez
AdLP Secretary: Deborah Bennett


The Acequia de La Puebla Commission hopes that each of its ~250 parciantes, families and friends have been well and safe throughout 2020, despite COVID, masks and social distancing! For that very reason, the 2020 Annual mtg, usually scheduled for the 1st week of December, was cancelled. However, look forward to the 2021 Annual meeting this coming December.

2021 Irrigation Season

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.
 



2021 Fees are Due

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.

Better Communications

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!


SCID15 Update

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.


AdLP Litigation

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.