Proposals for water-related projects to benefit the four-county area of Grant, Luna, Hidalgo and Catron in southwestern New Mexico continue to be sought by the Arizona Water Settlements Act planning process.

The AWSA allocates up to 14,000 annual acre-feet of water and funding of $66 million up to a possible $128 million to utilize water in the four-county region.

Planning for use of the water has been underway since the act was signed in December 2004. Projects for a possible New Mexico Unit are to be evaluated and sent to the Interstate Stream Commission by the end of 2011.

The ISC policy relating to the AWSA is:

"The Interstate Stream Commission recognizes the unique and valuable ecology of the Gila Basin. In considering any proposal for water utilization under Section 212 of the Arizona Water Settlements Act, the Commission will apply the best available science to fully assess and mitigate the ecological impacts on Southwest New Mexico, the Gila River, its tributaries and associated riparian corridors, while also considering the historic uses of and future demands for water in the Basin and the traditions, cultures and customs affecting those uses."

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Photos of the Gila River and a tributary by Mary Alice Murphy