Dear Legislator,

New Mexico is rich in iconic waterways that support multi-generational acequias, wetlands, lakes, and reservoirs critical for agriculture, wildlife habitat, drinking water supplies, and our growing outdoor recreation economy. All of this is under threat by the federal Navigable Waters Protection Rule, also known as the 2020 Dirty Water Rule.

The Dirty Water Rule, combined with previous reductions of protections at the federal level in2001 and 2006, negatively impacts New Mexico more than any state in the nation leaving more than 90% of New Mexico’s waters unprotected by the federal Clean Water Act. Also, New Mexico is one of only three states that does not have a state program to control the discharge of contaminants into state waters, previously managed federally under the Clean Water Act.

I urge you to work with Governor Lujan Grisham’s Administration to protect New Mexico’s waters and future by instituting and adequately funding a state program to fill regulatory gaps left by the loss of federal protections. A state program will create more local oversight of New Mexico’s waters that we all depend on for our health and livelihoods.

Thank you,