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<br />City airs concerns aboutNavajo water proposal
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<br />- By Valerie Gritton - ,
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<br />The Daily Times ,_ " , Fischer also said the settlement the 50 percent that are left over.
<br />"Under the settlement, the Wh t' 1 ft ~o the prIvate
<br />' proposal happened way too fast. a s e over 1 r . .
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<br />water rights settlement with the . tban 50 percent of the water avail- few months more so everyone can Navajo Nation receives all of the
<br />New MexiCo Office of the Slate a81efor depletion by New Mexico have an understanding of what water they are asking for, that
<br />Engineer. "'"m,, , -"'\ under the Upper Colorado River does this mean," leaves little forfuture growth and
<br />A draft of the settlement was Basin Compact. Fischer said part of the rush is other for area industries the city
<br />gi ven to the city Dec, 5 for In addition to wanting more -1:"101 th Na aio Nation wants depends
<br />til11e to review the settlement pro_~9ause e v ~ ..,.,'. .. "We 'aren't afforded to under-
<br />~~V~~~om~~~tC~t~ t~~dd~~::lln~~~: posal, the city has questioned why ~6"have t~ se~lement before Con- stand how (the Navajo Nation and
<br />City Councilors and city offi- 508,000 acre feet of the 630,000 ' ;gress in' arc. state engineer) got where they are
<br />cials have expressed conccrn total is reserved for the Navajo and don't have the opportunity to
<br />over SOI11~.of_t~~,~,a.t~r ri~hls" ~gg~:~ ~~i;e~~~n~ ~f~~~c~/6j:c~ " acc'~~II1~~~I~df ~ihka~ t~~ r~:f p~~ ~~:~I'~;~~t t;r~~~df::~~l~}Oth~~
<br />pr?posed I." the setUem.ent th. at r."'.".; has been completed. and in 2003, ture of NIIP is, It has been a mon- backup information and they have
<br />~~~lo~.e given to the Navajo .. 200,000 acre feet of water was ey loser from the very beginning," \ no intention to, I don't think,"
<br />Th ' ,d,iyerted to support the project. Fischer said. "I can remember l Sharpe said.
<br />e settlement is important to ", "That is a question we have, years ago I think it was sold to the ',"',' Fischer, Burnham and Sharpe
<br />Farmington, and the entire Soon ,Ah h' I t: h f '-I th N' Id h ~
<br />.. w at are t elr pans lor t e rest 0 PUll ic so e avaJos cou ave think the settlement has the poten-
<br />Juan Basin because il will clarify the water. Is it planned to be used self-sufficiency," Fischer said. tial to place Farmington in a criti-
<br />what water rights are available I for irrigation or something else "Somehow that went out the win- cal water crisis.
<br />and which ones are not becau~" I, did d ' II I I h h' f'
<br />..... an t 1e ocuments on t te us lOW too. t as a IstOry 0' mlS- "I lay awake worrying about
<br />they have'been allocated to th~.,~l that;' said Burnham, management. It has a history of what's going to happen, and I
<br />'Navajo Nation. , Even though City Councilor not doing anything for the average don't see anything good 01'1 the
<br />One th~ con~erns the city Mary Fischer was not at the meet- Navajo." horizon," Fischer said. "I have yet
<br />expressed 10 their comments is. ing Tuesday during the settle- , Fischer and City Councilor to he anything but disappointed
<br />the water depletion schedule, i iJJent discussion, she had plenty to ',' George Sharpe think the city Will with the state engineer's office
<br />The schedule is an estimate of say about the, proposal.#! have to eventually fight for their hI S C
<br />the average amount of Willer in . "[t's been difficult to follow I water rights." and t e nterstate tream OnI-
<br />the river minus the water that the actual settlement because the '~ Sharpe agreed with the city's mission and these water plans that
<br />must be delivered to the lower state engineer and Navajo Nation ~ comments about the proposed set- are supposed to be drafted in three '
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<br />~~i~~a~:tRiv~~g~~~a~~der ther rt:e~~~~,?I~~: ~h:l~.n~~~a~i~~~ i. g~:~i~~sb~~t~~~d t:r ~~~~;~~ ~o~~~.~~~t~~bear~g~eJo~~~p~e
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<br />City Attorney Jay B,urnham a~ked over the years to be J problems, ,
<br />said theoreticaJly there is enough dil'!formedd as dto' whha~ was being ,,1,' "Pt ers?nally, I tthink adt tsome
<br />water to satisfy what has been Iscusse an w at Issues were poin we re going 0 nee 0 get
<br />on the table, and we have been ~ more aggressive and take a finner
<br />denied any access throughout the 1 stance," he said.
<br />c6urse. 1 Although he does not fully
<br />"It appears (former state engi- ~ understand the proposed settle-
<br />peer) Tom Turney was playing 1 ment, Sharpe said it seems to him
<br />both sides against the middle. .~ the Navajo Nation got to make
<br />What is really ironic in the whole l their cake and eat it too.
<br />t~ing is the state engineer's office i "They're basically getting all
<br />has probably become the most ,l the water they asked for, and get-
<br />political game playing entity inl ting more thaI) 50 percent of all
<br />the state of New Mexico when we ~ the water in the San Juan Basin,"
<br />don't need those gaf!1es to be I he said. "We've got our own
<br />played." .', water rights that are carved out of
<br />. FarminJ~ton. New Mexico The Daily Times
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<br />Valerie Gritton: valerieg@daily.times.com
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<br />allocated to the Navajo Nation in ...
<br />tti~ selllement and present water '~
<br />u~ers, However, the city does not W
<br />know how that was proven. f
<br />"We would like to know more )
<br />about the depletion schedules to J
<br />see if it really works," he said. !
<br />"We want to be assured water is i
<br />aV,ailable." ., ,
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<br />Sunday, January 18, 2004
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