Senate Memorial 23 requests that the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer study whether an earthen water impoundment should be constructed in Taos County to support wildfire suppression and structure protection. The study would examine the benefits, costs, and feasibility of the project, as well as the water rights and water supply needed to fill the impoundment. The memorial is framed as a response to increasingly severe wildfire seasons and the need for reliable water sources for emergency response in a region that includes significant federal, county, municipal, and tribal lands.
The memorial also directs the State Engineer to coordinate with state, local, and tribal agencies, reflecting the cross-jurisdictional nature of wildfire response in Taos County, including consultation with the Pueblo of Taos and Pueblo of Picuris. It does not itself authorize construction or appropriate funding; instead, it seeks a technical and policy evaluation and a report of findings and recommendations to the legislative interim committee that handles water and natural resources issues.
Impact
SM23 would not directly change substantive state law or create a new water project. Its legal effect is to request a study by the Office of the State Engineer, an agency already responsible for water management, impoundment analysis, and water-rights tracking. If adopted, it would place the question of a Taos County earthen impoundment into the state’s water-policy process and could influence future legislation, planning, or funding decisions related to wildfire mitigation, water storage, and water rights acquisition.
Sentiment
The bill appears broadly supportive and precautionary in tone, with no recorded committee debate or votes indicating opposition. Its findings emphasize severe wildfire risk, the need for emergency water supplies, and the importance of coordination among state, local, and tribal governments. The overall sentiment is that the proposal is a practical planning measure aimed at improving preparedness rather than a controversial policy shift.
Contention
The main potential points of contention are likely to be the cost and feasibility of constructing a new earthen impoundment, the availability and price of the water rights needed to fill it, and the environmental or water-allocation implications of creating additional storage. Because Taos County includes tribal lands and overlaps with national forest territory, consultation and jurisdictional coordination may also be sensitive issues. Any future implementation could raise questions about who would fund, own, operate, and benefit from the project, but those issues are not resolved in the memorial itself.