PLANNING HIGHLIGHTS

Chimayo Regional Water System

May 30, 2006 was a beautiful day in Chimayo, with clear skies and plenty of sunshine.  Governor Bill Richardson joined the board of the Greater Chimayo Mutual Domestic Water Consumers Association, many of the area’s elected officials, honored guests and members of the community to break ground for the new community water system.

After nearly six years of planning, GCMDWCA celebrated the start of construction with golden shovels at the site of its new wells below the Santa Cruz Dam. 

Pictured below are (left to right) Mark Trujillo, Phil Kilgour, Valerie Espinoza, Senator  Richard Martinez, Representative Nick Salazar, Connie Medina, Barbara Deaux, Governor Bill Richardson, Commissioner Elias Coriz, and Speaker Ben Lujan.

On October 27, 2006, the Greater Chimayo Mutual Domestic Water Consumers Association hosted a number of the region’s elected officials, including Senator Pete V. Domenici, Representative Nick L. Salazar, Rio Arriba County Commissioner Elias Coriz and Santa Fe County Commissioner Harry Montoya.  Many of the state and federal agencies involved in the project were in attendance. 

The Greater Chimayo Mutual Domestic Water Consumers Association (GCMDWCA) began delivering water to its first customers in November, 2007. 
GCMDWCA negotiated mergers with an older system in the historic Plaza del Cerro area, obtaining $500,000 from Santa Fe County and a similar amount from the Water Trust Board.  That merger was complete in 2008 and a brand new system should be serving that area by April 2009. 
A third association, Llano Chimayo Mutual Domestic Water Consumers Association (LCMDWCA), agreed to another merger in 2009, and application has been made to the Water Trust Board for funds to extend service to LCMDWCA.
NCNMEDD has worked with this project since 2004, helping the non-profit obtain funds from federal, state and local sources and assisting in the ongoing efforts to regionalize water service in the Santa Cruz River Basin.  The merger of the three water systems and the extension of service lines have brought the promise of a clean, reliable water supply to about 200 households in the area.  GCMDWCA is working with Rio Arriba and Santa Fe Counties, the city of Española, Cuatro Villas Mutual Domestic Water Consumers Association and the Santa Cruz Irrigation District to protect water resources in the Santa Cruz River Basin and to provide clean water to area residents.

North Central NM Economic Development District, District 2
P.O. Box 5115 Santa Fe, NM 87502
Phone: 866-699-4927, 505-827-7313 | Fax: 505-827-7414
Barbara Deaux, Executive Director