NRCS Chief Jason Weller (far right) completes his tour of acequias in New Mexico at the oldest continuously functioning acequia in the United States – the Acequia de Chamita, near Espanola, New Mexico – in operation since 1597. With Chief Weller are (left to right) Gilbert Borrego, NRCS New Mexico Acequia Civil Engineering Technician; Kenny Salazar, President of the New Mexico Association of Conservation Districts; and Bren van Dyke, First Vice President of the National Association of Conservation Districts. Photo by Rey T. Adame.
Last week, I visited with local communities in northern New Mexico. Many of these communities rely on irrigation ditches, called acequias, as their primary water source in an otherwise arid region. These are ditches that were used by their parents, and their grandparents, and their great-grand parents. Some acequias in the area date back more than 400 years.
Through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), NRCS is working with acequia communities and partners across the state of New Mexico to improve water quality, water quantity, and boost the overall health of these local irrigation ditches that so many rural American communities depend on. The Acequia San Rafael del Guique, for example, provides water for roughly 150 people in the Ohkay Owengeh and El Guique communities – it’s being revitalized as part of our RCPP project in the state.
This is one of 115 conservation projects currently being funded by RCPP in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Together, USDA investments and partner contributions have brought our total conservation investment through RCPP to almost $800 million – and we’re just getting started. Last week, Secretary Vilsack announced that the second round of RCPP funding is now available. A new bucket of $235 million will be put to work funding innovative new projects to benefit our soils, water, and wildlife.
RCPP is an example of government working at its best. We’re empowering local communities and private landowners to take control and identify what the needs are in their backyards. We’re harnessing the power of public-private partnership – bringing in new partners, new resources and new ideas to the table, resulting in conservation outcomes that we never could have realized on our own.
Just like the first round of RCPP, 25 percent of the funding will be awarded to state-level projects; 40 percent for multi-state and national projects; and 35 percent for projects in eight Critical Conservation Areas, including: the California Bay Delta; Chesapeake Bay Watershed; Colorado River Basin; Columbia River Basin; Great Lakes Region; Longleaf Pine Range; Mississippi River Basin; and the Prairie Grasslands.
We’re looking for projects that deliver the most conservation for the tax payer dollar – and leverage additional financial and technical resources to get the job done. We’re looking for innovation. We’re looking for ideas that help producers boost their operations and mitigate threats, while meeting regulations and protecting the natural resources we all depend on.
Seeing how our investments are changing lives for families in acequia communities in New Mexico and communities across the country pushes me to be a better public servant. I’m grateful for these opportunities.
I’m eager to see our current RCPP projects come to fruition and the new ideas coming to the table in the months ahead.
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