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Village councilors in Corrales let local farmers know they’ve got their backs.
The council approved a resolution on Sept. 23 in support of the Corrales Farmers’ Cooperative’s pursuit of a $500,000 Thornburg Foundation grant from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
Mike Hamman of the Farmers’ Cooperative told councilors the farmers developed a recommendation report for the New Mexico Legislature, which drew the support of the Thornburg Foundation. He said the group also worked with the New Mexico Department of Transportation in shaping the presentation to the Bureau of Reclamation.
The money would go toward a water study for the village area, Hamman said, helping to give the village a clearer picture of the water issues it faces.
Among the topics to be studied, he said, are the relationship between surface water and groundwater and the extent of water resources (including wells) that Corrales has.
In addition, Hamman said, the grant would be used for education and outreach to all the landowners in Corrales, with a focus on the farming community, to improve understanding of future water use needs.
He said the cooperative could receive an additional $100,000 over two years from the foundation.
The Village is the fiscal agent on the grant application; the Office of the State Engineer is another partner, Hamman said, and the cooperative is reaching out to other entities that could become partners.
“The important thing is that we’re leveraging multiple opportunities here to do a full-scale analysis of how we need to move forward to assure Corrales’ water resilience in the future,” Hamman said.
In response to a question from Councilor Stuart Murray, Hamman said the grant will help the village’s efforts to develop a 40-year water plan.
Murray also asked about the cooperative’s chances of actually receiving the money, “given that the current federal administration is clawing back money left and right.”
Hamman said he’s been assured by the Bureau of Reclamation that the official reviewing interior water projects is in favor of moving forward with drought relief funds approved during the Biden administration.
Also at the meeting, Hamman said that as the farming season and the farmers’ market season start to wind down, the cooperative will be more active in working on safety improvements along Corrales Road, the village’s main drag. Residents in recent weeks have lamented speeding on the road and the dangerous traffic conditions it causes.