Saturday, May 26, 2007

MRGCD candidate wants more public education about water rights

Argen Duncan El Defensor Chieftain Reporter

San Acacia alfalfa farmer Gordon "Corky" Herkenhoff is running for the at-large position on the Middle Rio Grande Conservation District board of directors.

His race will not displace Gary Perry, who currently serves on the board for Socorro County.

"I've been a farmer all my life, and I think there's a serious threat to farmers being able to continue because of the threats to our water supply," Herkenhoff said.

Herkenhoff thinks the conservancy has done a good job of fighting to protect its water rights, and he would like to continue the work.

Water has a high value, with pre-1907, or transferable, water rights selling for $25,000 per acre-foot of water, Herkenhoff said. An acre-foot is about 326,000 gallons.

Herkenhoff said many agencies, bureaucracies and groups are "jealously eyeing" the conservancy's water supply.

"And we just need to protect it from them," he continued.

For example, Herkenhoff said the state engineer would like to declare the conservancy's water rights for its water bank invalid and use the flows to meet requirements for delivering water to Texas.

"Misinformed politicians are trying to do things with farmers' water that can't be done, shouldn't be done," he said.

Herkenhoff said the threat to the water supply is a threat to irrigating farmers' way of life and livelihood. Because of that view, he sees the upcoming election as extremely important because it's a turning point of how the board will treat irrigation and the quality of life people appreciate, he said.

"I think the district really needs a public education campaign about water rights," he said.

Herkenhoff said people are under pressure to sell pre-1907 water rights because of the high prices and will do so. This situation leaves a question of what to do with the land once watered with the rights.

Herkenhoff would like to see the farmers lease excess conservancy water rights. Otherwise, the land could remain idle, become an unregulated development or be legally subdivided, which could lead to a lot of neighbors and problems for adjacent farmers, he said.

The conservancy already leases water bank rights to farmers who have sold their water rights. The sold water rights are often transferred to municipalities.

"So development is taking water out of agriculture, and the district water bank is putting water back into agriculture," Herkenhoff said.

When farmers lease water rights from the conservancy, they get junior water rights. If someone had to give up their water in a shortage, people with junior rights would go first.

Herkenhoff believes this arrangement solves the "double-dipping" issue.

Herkenhoff has been a "shovel-in-hand" irrigator since 1962, and, because of its importance in his business, involved in water policy at the state and local level, he said. He has also earned a bachelor's in agricultural economics from New Mexico State University.

The at-large area covers parts of Socorro, Sandoval, Bernalillo and Valencia counties.

Anyone who pays conservancy taxes can vote in the June 5 election whether or not they irrigate. For the city of Socorro, that means people living on Franklin Street and further east.

A list of polling places is available at www.mrgcd.com.

aduncan@dchieftain.com

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