COMMENT:
What is the most precious and life-giving resource upon which all life is dependent? And what will in time, cost more due to shortages? Even more than natural gas and petroleum fuel for our vehicles? Watch what is happening in Las Vegas, San Miguel County, where water is running low and management in this municipality fights the Acequia rights that pre-date city jurisdiction.
Drilling Mora County
• http://www.lasvegasoptic.com/content/water-rate-hike-horizon
Water rate hike on horizon
Mayor: Residents should prepare for 500 percent increase
By Martin Salazar
March 28, 2011
Customers on the city of Las Vegas water system should prepare to pay five times what they currently pay for water, Mayor Alfonso Ortiz is warning.
“The bottom line is people better expect a rate increase,” Ortiz said Thursday evening during a public meeting where city consultants outlined tens of millions of dollars in infrastructure improvements being considered for the city’s water system....continued....
• http://www.lasvegasoptic.com/content/city-and-acequias
The city and the acequias
By Optic Editorial Board
March 22, 2011
Remember when the Las Vegas Community Water Board was formed a few years ago? One of the reasons given for its need was that the varying interests needed to resolve their differences without lawyers, and a non-governmental entity would be more likely to accomplish that.
To that end, give the water board credit for its role in resolving the differences between the city and the Storrie Lake Water Users Association. A mutually beneficial agreement was reached in 2009.....continued....
• http://www.lasvegasoptic.com/content/city-water-fight-rages
City water fight rages on: Court: Legal case to move forward
By Martin Salazar
March 20, 2011
The ongoing fight between the city of Las Vegas and the acequias over water rights on the Rio Gallinas rages on, and the battleground right now appears to be the court of public opinion.
Acequia users in recent weeks have used the radio airwaves and the newspaper opinions page to spread their message. Wednesday evening, they went a step further, showing up at the City Council meeting and appealing to the city’s governing body to settle the dispute through mediation rather than litigation.....continued....
• http://www.lasvegasoptic.com/content/acequias-laud-pact-city
Acequias laud pact with city
By David Giuliani
June 28, 2009
William Gonzales says he and other farmers and ranchers have been working for years to get the city to sit down and talk about sharing water on the Gallinas River.
And, by his account, they weren’t invited to the table until last year.
Months of negotiations have resulted in a water-sharing agreement for this year. If it works out, it may be the basis for a permanent agreement....continued....
• http://www.lasvegasoptic.com/content/no-water-cutoff-vegas
No water cutoff for Vegas
By David Giuliani
March 5, 2008
Because of public health and safety issues, the state won’t prevent the city of Las Vegas from taking water off the Gallinas River, a state official said Wednesday.
Linda Gordan, a district supervisor with the state engineer’s office, made that statement in response to complaints at a public meeting that the city was getting greater priority in using water from the Gallinas than more senior users such as acequias, or community-operated ditches....continued....
