July 14, 2004

COG Conference Room

MEMBERS PRESENT:

Michael Daly White Cliffs MDWUA

Edward Wemytewa Pueblo of Zuni

Charley Long Thoreau Navajo Chapter

Paulene McCabe Manuelito Chapter

Loline Hathaway Yah-ta-hey WSD

Nancy Stanley Jamestown, Whispering Cedars MDWUA

Matthew Metzler Jamestown, Whispering Cedars MDWUA

Sherry Botkin Thoreau WSD

FACILITATORS/STAFF:

Larry Winn Board President, McKinley Soil & Water Conservation District

Evan Williams Associate Planner, Northwest New Mexico Council of Governments

I. OPENING. Larry Winn opened the meeting at 10:08 AM.

II. MINUTES OF 5/19/04 and 6/9/04. Evan Williams presented the Board with minutes from the two previous meetings - 5-19-04 and 6-9-04. There were no additions and Mike Daly motioned to approve both sets of minutes; Sherry Botkin seconded this motion, and the group voted all in favor to approve both sets of minutes.

III. OLD BUSINESS

A. Zuni Settlement of Little Colorado River (LCR). Edward Wemytewa passed out an article, from Indianz.com, entitled “Settlement to Help Zuni Tribe Protect its ‘Heaven’. Edward proceeded to enlighten the group on this settlement, key points include:

1. In beginning, where talks regarding the LCR settlement began, the Zuni Tribe felt it necessary to move away from the bigger pact involving several other tribes, including but not limited to, Hopi, Navajo, etc.

2. The Zuni Tribe was really interested in a small piece, so they begun discussions with Washington, DC, and where added by Salt River Project, Tucson Power & Electric, and others.

3. In the fall of 2000, a decision regarding the Zuni settlement and negotiations was process and subsumed by the Department of Justice process.

4. Negotiated terms included Section 23, “Zuni Heaven” as part of the LCR corridor and that this land would only be restored as wetland and not for commercial development.

5. Around that time, the Zuni Tribe received a grant for wetland restoration. The Zuni tribe still needs to work out an intergovernmental agreement and secure funding to purchase water rights and land if available. The Federal government has a set aside fund for partial support of these types of deals, and public and private matching funds are in negotiation.

6. Finally in 2002, Bush enacted legislation to adjudicate water rights in AZ, including the LCR settlement. In this proposed legislation, Section 23, was left out, and later would led to a land swap to acquire.

B. Gallup Regional System. Larry Winn revisited the discussion over the political climate associated with the Gallup Regional System project, and the mutually dependent relationship he felt that the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project has with the overall success of the Gallup Regional System.

C. Governor Richardson’s Water Innovation Fund. Evan Williams presented and passed out the grant that the Water Board recommended him to script, requesting funding for a “McKinley County Regional Rural Water Associations Infrastructure Plan”. Mike Daly also sent in an application for White Cliffs. Mike Daly explained that an RFP would be coming out to narrow the field.

Larry Winn added that it is important to get on the radar and be ranked in the system, so as funding becomes available you are on their list. (e.g. Water Trust Board process) Mike Daly discussed his disappointment with some of the bureaucratic processes and application nightmares that could be streamlined or standardized, and that if funding is not going to be available – why do governments ask local communities to spend wasted hours on applications.

Mike Daly also talked about the shortfalls of the Infrastructure Capital Improvements Plan (ICIP) and the possibility of evolving into a RPO process, where water projects would be rated, ranked, and funded in top priority format like RPO road projects.

IV. SITE VISIT TO WHITE CLIFFS REVERSE-OSMOSIS SYSTEM. Mike Daly hosted the Water Board in White Cliffs. He gave us an excellent tour of the facility and briefed us on the system. It was amazing. The Four Corners Business Journal will be doing an article on the system.

V. NEXT MEETING: Continuing on the second Wednesday of the month meeting schedule, August 11, 2004 at COG Office at 9-12 AM, and leaving at 11AM a presentation from URI on uranium mining in Churchrock. The group also wanted to take all water projects in the County and rate them with Marc DePauli, and come up with a prioritized list for the 2005 Legislative Session.

VI. ADJOURNMENT: Edward Wemytewa moved, and Charley Long seconded, to adjourn. The meeting adjourned at 11:15 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Evan Williams, Associate Planner

Northwest New Mexico Council of Governments