Monday, September 19, 2016

NOTICE OF EXTENTION OF THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR RIO RUIDOSO TMDLS

Surface Water Quality Bureau Total Maximum Daily Loads ________________________________________ NOTICE OF EXTENTION OF THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR RIO RUIDOSO TMDLS In response to a request for an extension, the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) Surface Water Quality Bureau (SWQB) has extended the comment period for an additional 7 days on the draft Rio Ruidoso plant nutrient TMDLs. The draft TMDL is available on the SWQB website at: https://www.env.nm.gov/swqb/index.html All comments must be in writing. Electronic comments submitted via email are preferred. Comments must be received no later than 4:00 pm on Thursday, September 29, 2016. All written comments and SWQB responses will be included in an appendix of the TMDL. Please direct all comments via email, mail, or fax to: Heidi Henderson Surface Water Quality Bureau PO Box 5469, Santa Fe, NM 87502 Fax: (505) 827-2901 Email: heidi.henderson@state.nm.us SWQB plans to request approval of the TMDL from the New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission on November 15, 2016. ________________________________________ TMDL and Assessment Team: Shelly Lemon shelly.lemon@state.nm.us or 505-827-2819 https://www.env.nm.gov/swqb/

NMSU water survey.

Below is a question are you can copy and paste to email listed below. Call me if you have questions. Questions regarding NMSU and New Mexico Water Issues New Mexico State University (NMSU) conducts research and Extension/outreach programs to provide unbiased, science-based information to all people of New Mexico. NMSU does not have legislative, regulatory, or enforcement responsibilities. Please answer the following questions, keeping in mind NMSU’s role. 1. What are your top two water issues/most important water concerns for New Mexico? 2. What NMSU water-related programs are you familiar with? 3. What NMSU water-related programs do you use? 4. What do you consider to be the top NMSU-related water research, Extension, or outreach needs? 5. Any other comments? I am/represent (please check one of the following boxes): □ rancher/farmer or other private landowner □ county, state, or federal agency □ non-agricultural industry □ university □ other Please return form to facilitator. You may send additional comments to: sloring@nmsu.edu.

NM WRRI’s Annual New Mexico Water Conference

NM WRRI’s Annual New Mexico Water Conference Press Release This Conference, held October 5-7 in Silver City, brings the state’s water community together each year to discuss critical issues concerning our most precious resource‒water. Join us in October in beautiful Silver City and connect with faculty and students, water agency staff, water planners, and stakeholders from all sectors of the state’s economy. This year’s theme, Where Does All the Water Go? History, Hydrology and Management of New Mexico’s Scarce Water, will be discussed by an impressive group of water experts. Register here

Friday, September 16, 2016

Pecos Valley Water Users Organization Update

Well I am waiting to find out the schedule of when and where we are to present the updated revision of the Lower Pecos Regional Water Plan. If you recall the Interstate Stream Commission was to get back with us in late August or Early September so we could select our representatives and plan the presentation. I have contacted Hanna at the OSE and she has not been able to get me any information except that planner the OSE had hired has take a position in another state. So if you think we should have a regular quarterly meeting e-mail me and I will send out a doodle poll on dates.

Monday, September 12, 2016

USDA Investments to Improve Drinking Water and Waste Infrastructure for 168 Small Towns

USDA Investments to Improve Drinking Water and Waste Infrastructure for 168 Small Towns ORLANDO, Fla., Sept. 12, 2016 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is making investments to improve water and waste infrastructure for 168 small towns across the country, including the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The investment, totaling $283 million, is made through USDA Rural Development's Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant Program, which provides assistance and financing to develop drinking water and waste disposal systems for communities with 10,000 or fewer residents. "Strong infrastructure is critical to keeping America's communities of all sizes thriving, and USDA is proud to partner with the National Rural Water Association to help improve the livelihood of our smallest towns by providing access to reliable water and wastewater systems," said Vilsack. "Projects like these are critical to the economy, health and future of rural America, and today 19 million residents now have improved water and wastewater services in their communities thanks to investments USDA has made since 2009." USDA Rural Utilities Service Administrator Brandon McBride made the announcement on Vilsack's behalf here at the National Rural Water Association's WaterPro conference. The city of Monticello, Ill., for example, is receiving a $14.3 million USDA loan to construct a wastewater treatment plant to benefit the city's 5,500 residents. The funding will help the city expand its sewage capacity and comply with environmental regulations. In Mississippi, the Mt. Olive Water Association, a non-profit organization serving approximately 368 customers, is receiving a $297,000 loan and a $238,000 grant for a water systems improvement project. The funding will provide a water storage tank, fire hydrants and a generator for this small system. Mt. Olive is one of the first applicants to use Rural Development's new online application system, RD Apply. In this new process, applications can be submitted by anyone, anywhere in the country, any time of day. That means even the most remote rural communities can submit an application as long as they have access to the internet. USDA's Water and Environmental Programs division launched RD Apply at the National Rural Water Association's WaterPro conference in Oklahoma City on Sept. 28, 2015. Funding for each project announced today is contingent upon the recipient meeting the terms of the loan, grant or loan/grant agreement. In 2015, the Ozark Mountain Regional Public Water Authority completed a water treatment plant to bring safe and plentiful water to Boone, Newton and Searcy counties in northwest Arkansas. USDA provided $62 million in loans and grants. The rural water systems in these counties were plagued by excessive amounts of naturally occurring radon, radium and fluoride in their groundwater supplies, causing them to be under administrative orders from the state health department. Approximately 20,000 rural Arkansas residents now have a safe, dependable supply of water as a result of USDA's investment. Newton and Searcy counties are persistent poverty counties and are within USDA's StrikeForce for Rural Growth and Opportunity initiative. Launched in 2010, StrikeForce is part of the Obama Administration's commitment to address persistent poverty across America. Today's funding builds on USDA's historic investments in rural America over the past seven years. Since 2009, USDA has worked to strengthen and support rural communities and American agriculture, an industry that supports one in 11 American jobs, provides American consumers with more than 80 percent of the food we consume, ensures that Americans spend less of their paychecks at the grocery store than most people in other countries, and supports markets for homegrown renewable energy and materials. Since 2009, USDA Rural Development (@USDARD) has invested $13.5 billion for 5,739 water and waste infrastructure projects, benefiting 19.1 million rural residents; invested nearly $13 billion to start or expand nearly 112,000 rural businesses; helped 1.1 million rural residents buy homes; funded nearly 9,200 community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care facilities; and helped bring high-speed Internet access to nearly 6 million rural residents and businesses. USDA also has invested $31.3 billion in 963 electric projects that have financed more than 185,000 miles of transmission and distribution lines serving 4.6 million rural residents. For more information, visit www.usda.gov/results. # ________________________________________ Contact Us STAY CONNECTED: SUBSCRIBER SERVICES: Manage Preferences | Delete profile | Help ________________________________________ This email was sent to whoughto@nmsu.edu using GovDelivery, on behalf of: USDA Office of Communications · 1400 Independence Ave SW · Washington DC 20250 If you have questions about USDA activities, please visit our Ask the Expert page. This feature is designed to assist you in obtaining the information you are seeking. USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (866) 632-9992 (Toll-free Customer Service), (800) 877-8339 (Local or Federal relay), (866) 377-8642 (Relay voice users).

USDA Announces Rural Water and Waste Infrastructure Investments

USDA Announces Rural Water and Waste Infrastructure Investments ORLANDO, Fla., Sept. 12, 2016 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is making investments to improve water and waste infrastructure for 168 small towns across the country, including the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The investment, totaling $283 million, is made through USDA Rural Development's Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant Program, which provides assistance and financing to develop drinking water and waste disposal systems for communities with 10,000 or fewer residents. "Strong infrastructure is critical to keeping America's communities of all sizes thriving, and USDA is proud to partner with the National Rural Water Association to help improve the livelihood of our smallest towns by providing access to reliable water and wastewater systems," said Vilsack. "Projects like these are critical to the economy, health and future of rural America, and today 19 million residents now have improved water and wastewater services in their communities thanks to investments USDA has made since 2009." USDA Rural Utilities Service Administrator Brandon McBride made the announcement on Vilsack's behalf here at the National Rural Water Association's WaterPro conference. The city of Monticello, Ill., for example, is receiving a $14.3 million USDA loan to construct a wastewater treatment plant to benefit the city's 5,500 residents. The funding will help the city expand its sewage capacity and comply with environmental regulations. In Mississippi, the Mt. Olive Water Association, a non-profit organization serving approximately 368 customers, is receiving a $297,000 loan and a $238,000 grant for a water systems improvement project. The funding will provide a water storage tank, fire hydrants and a generator for this small system. Mt. Olive is one of the first applicants to use Rural Development's new online application system, RD Apply. In this new process, applications can be submitted by anyone, anywhere in the country, any time of day. That means even the most remote rural communities can submit an application as long as they have access to the internet. USDA's Water and Environmental Programs division launched RD Apply at the National Rural Water Association's WaterPro conference in Oklahoma City on Sept. 28, 2015. Funding for each project announced today is contingent upon the recipient meeting the terms of the loan, grant or loan/grant agreement. In 2015, the Ozark Mountain Regional Public Water Authority completed a water treatment plant to bring safe and plentiful water to Boone, Newton and Searcy counties in northwest Arkansas. USDA provided $62 million in loans and grants. The rural water systems in these counties were plagued by excessive amounts of naturally occurring radon, radium and fluoride in their groundwater supplies, causing them to be under administrative orders from the state health department. Approximately 20,000 rural Arkansas residents now have a safe, dependable supply of water as a result of USDA's investment. Newton and Searcy counties are persistent poverty counties and are within USDA's StrikeForce for Rural Growth and Opportunity initiative. Launched in 2010, StrikeForce is part of the Obama Administration's commitment to address persistent poverty across America. Today's funding builds on USDA's historic investments in rural America over the past seven years. Since 2009, USDA has worked to strengthen and support rural communities and American agriculture, an industry that supports one in 11 American jobs, provides American consumers with more than 80 percent of the food we consume, ensures that Americans spend less of their paychecks at the grocery store than most people in other countries, and supports markets for homegrown renewable energy and materials. Since 2009, USDA Rural Development (@USDARD) has invested $13.5 billion for 5,739 water and waste infrastructure projects, benefiting 19.1 million rural residents; invested nearly $13 billion to start or expand nearly 112,000 rural businesses; helped 1.1 million rural residents buy homes; funded nearly 9,200 community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care facilities; and helped bring high-speed Internet access to nearly 6 million rural residents and businesses. USDA also has invested $31.3 billion in 963 electric projects that have financed more than 185,000 miles of transmission and distribution lines serving 4.6 million rural residents. For more information, visit www.usda.gov/results. #