Office of the Secretary

For Immediate Release: June 29, 2001

Contact: Laura Funderburk\Joan Moody
(202) 208-6416

Landmark State-Federal Water Agreement Protects
Endangered Fish and Water Users in New Mexico

(ALBUQUERQUE) - The Department of the Interior today signed a landmark agreement with the State of New Mexico and the Corps of Engineers that will provide water flows for the endangered Rio Grande silvery minnow while ensuring adequate water for municipalities and other water users.

"This has truly been a collaborative effort," Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton said in a letter to Senators Pete Domenici and Jeff Bingaman, noting that "it could not have occurred without your strong support and encouragement." Norton says today's announcement is a welcome departure from the controversy that has surrounded the silvery minnow since it was first listed as an endangered species in 1994. "I am hopeful that our collective success in building consensus on both a Conservation Water Agreement and the terms of a biological opinion will lay the groundwork for continued negotiations and collaborative solutions for the silvery minnow, the State of New Mexico, and the water users of the Middle Rio Grande, including the Pueblos. .. .I truly believe that what we have achieved here can be a model for similar endangered species conflicts across the country."

The state-federal agreement will provide water over the next three years for the benefit of the endangered fish. The water - 30,000 acre feet per water year - will consist of Rio Grande water that otherwise would have flowed downstream for storage at Elephant Butte Reservoir and contributed to New Mexico's compact deliveries to Texas. The conservation water will be stored upstream at Corps of Engineers reservoirs and released in coordination with the Fish and Wildlife Service. The Corps, Bureau of Reclamation, and New Mexico executed a memorandum of understanding to store the water that was approved by the Rio Grande Compact Commission in April.

"The Conservation Water Agreement that we have negotiated will allow the parties to work together to time the release of water in the Middle Rio Grande under the direction of the Fish and Wildlife Service," the Secretary said. "The release of this water will be achieved under state law. The result...is that the silvery minnow will benefit, and water users will get the certainty that their existing water uses will not result in a prohibited take of the fish under the Endangered Species Act." The United States is not buying the water but paying New Mexico $41 per acre-foot to alter the timing of the releases for conservation purposes.

Norton was represented by Gina Guy, Rocky Mountain Regional Solicitor. In a personal letter to the Senators, Secretary Norton emphasized, "Although this is not a permanent solution, it is a vital step towards a long-term plan to protect and ultimately recover the silvery minnow."

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