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Dear Editor:
As the Governor of the Pueblo of Sandia (Pueblo), and an active alfalfa farmer, I am writing to the Corrales agricultural community to provide some information regarding the Corrales Siphon replacement project. As you may know, the original siphon, constructed in the early 1930’s has ruptured, rendering it unusable, and creating a significant sinkhole on Pueblo lands east of Siphon Beach.
The Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District (MRGCD) is developing a design and has secured funding for the construction of a new siphon. The project will require staging and construction activity on both sides of the river. In the meantime, they have created a temporary facility to pump water directly from the river into the Corrales Main Canal on the Corrales side of the river. Water still flows through the section of the canal that passes through the Pueblo’s land, but since it cannot be conveyed through the siphon, it is being diverted to the Riverside Drain where the water is eventually carried back to the river.
The Pueblo’s Tribal Council, staff and I are aware that Corrales farmers are concerned that the Pueblo may be holding up or delaying the siphon replacement project. I am writing to express that the Pueblo is doing all that we can to facilitate the project with MRGCD. We have allowed MRGCD onto Pueblo land to survey for the project and to complete the geotechnical soil sampling and testing necessary to complete the project design. MRGCD has also met with the Tribal Council and Tribal Leadership to move the project forward.
Although the project remains on schedule, MRGCD requires a Right-of-Way from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to construct the new siphon on Pueblo land and to be able to access it for maintenance. The Pueblo’s land is held in trust by the federal government with the BIA acting as the federal government’s agent. Tribes are not allowed to obligate or dispose of their trust land without the permission and cooperation of the BIA; this includes issuing easements and Rights-of-Way. In short, we are not empowered to issue MRGCD the necessary Right-of-Way to allow construction of the siphon to commence; only BIA can do that. We have made urgent requests to our federal colleagues and our congressional delegation to expedite BIA’s review so that the project can remain on schedule.Â
I want to reassure fellow farmers in Corrales that the Pueblo is doing what we can to facilitate the siphon replacement project. We meet regularly with MRGCD and are working in tandem to complete as much of the construction preparation as possible. We understand how difficult it is when our aged water infrastructure fails. I hope the Corrales agricultural community will bear with the Pueblo and MRGCD as we work through the BIA’s process.
Sincerely,Â
Governor Felix L. Chaves