NOTICE is hereby given that on August 3, 2020, the City of Rio Rancho, a New Mexico Municipal Corporation, c/o Jim Chiasson, P.E., 3200 Civic Center Circle NE, Rio Rancho, NM 87144, and Sallie A. Budagher, HC 68, Box 85, Willard, NM 87063, as co-applicants filed with the STATE ENGINEER Application No. SD-08171 into RG-6745 et al., for Permit to Change Point of Diversion and Change Place and Purpose of Use from Surface Water to Groundwater, within the Rio Grande Underground Water Basin of the State of New Mexico.

Valencia, Bernalillo and Sandoval are the New Mexico counties affected by the diversion and in which the water has been or will be put to beneficial use. This notice is ordered to be published in the Valencia County News-Bulletin (Valencia County), Albuquerque Journal (Bernalillo County) and Rio Rancho Observer (Sandoval County).

The co-applicants propose to discontinue the farm delivery requirement of 28.635 acre-feet per annum (“AFA”) of surface water, inclusive of a consumptive irrigation requirement (“CIR”) of 20.044 AFA from the Old Jarales Acequia, with a point of diversion on the Rio Grande at the Isleta Diversion Dam (SP-1690-3), on land owned by the Pueblo of Isleta located in the projected NE¼NE¼SW¼ of Section 24, Township 8 North, Range 2 East, NMPM, Pueblo of Isleta Grant, at a point where X=346,037 meters and Y=3,863,880 meters intersect, UTM Zone 13 North, NAD 83, for the irrigation of 9.545 acres of land described as Tracts 24B and 25B, Land of Saith Budagher, owned by Sallie Budagher, on MRGCD Map 103, within Section 29, Township 5 North, Range 2 East, NMPM. The move-from land is generally located northeast of the intersection of Jarales Road and Lazy Lane, near Belen, Valencia County, New Mexico.

The co-applicants further propose to transfer the above-described 20.044 AFA CIR water rights to the City of Rio Rancho’s wells permitted under RG-6745 et al., consisting of 35 existing and proposed system production wells, all located on land owned by the City of Rio Rancho, within Sandoval County, for municipal and related purposes of use within the service area (owned by numerous owners) of the City of Rio Rancho municipal water system.

Diversion of water under the City of Rio Rancho’s Permit RG-6745 et al. shall not exceed 24,020.16 AFA for domestic, commercial, industrial, housing, subdivision, and related purposes within the service area of the City of Rio Rancho Municipal Water System. No increase in the diversion is contemplated by the transfer of water rights under this application. This application is made for the purpose of complying with Conditions of Approval of Permit No. RG-6745 et al., which requires the City of Rio Rancho to offset the impacts of groundwater pumping on surface flows of the Rio Grande and its tributaries.

To view the application and supporting documentation, contact the State Engineer District 1 Office to arrange a date and time for an appointment. The District 1 Office is located at 5550 San Antonio Drive NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109.

Any person, firm or corporation or other entity having standing to file objections or protests shall do so in writing (objection must be legible, signed, and include the writer’s complete name, phone number, email address, and mailing address). The objection to the approval of the application must be based on: (1) Impairment; if impairment, you must specifically identify your water rights; and/or (2) Public Welfare/Conservation of Water; if public welfare or conservation of water within the State of New Mexico, you must show how you will be substantially and specifically affected. The written protest must be filed, in triplicate, with the State Engineer, 5550 San Antonio Drive NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109, by October 23, 2020. Facsimiles (faxes) will be accepted as a valid protest if the hard copy is hand-delivered or mailed and postmarked within 24-hours of the facsimile. Mailing postmark will be used to validate the 24-hour period. Protests can be faxed to the Office of the State Engineer, (505) 383-4030. If no valid protest or objection is filed, the State Engineer will evaluate the application in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 72 NMSA 1978.

Observer: September 13, 20, 27, 2020