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SENATE MEMORIAL 20
57
TH LEGISLATURE
- STATE OF NEW MEXICO -
FIRST SESSION
, 2025
INTRODUCED BY
Pete Campos
A MEMORIAL
RAISING AWARENESS OF THE DETERIORATION OF DAMS IN NEW MEXICO
AND URGING STATE LEADERS TO COLLABORATE IN ESTABLISHING A
COMPREHENSIVE, STATEWIDE DAM REHABILITATION PROGRAM.
WHEREAS, dams serve a critical role in the infrastructure
of New Mexico; and
WHEREAS, dams provide essential benefits to the state and
its residents, including flood control, water storage,
irrigation, hydropower generation and recreation, all of which
are vital to the economic and social well-being of the state's
communities; and
WHEREAS, the majority of dams in New Mexico are older than
fifty years, with an average age of sixty-five years, and
numerous dams are more than one hundred years old; and
WHEREAS, dam engineering and construction technology have
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improved over the past many decades, and past practices have
been outlawed; and
WHEREAS, dams in the state have deteriorated from age,
have been insufficiently maintained and repaired and, due to
changes in the environment and downstream area, should now be
classified as high hazard potential dams; and
WHEREAS, many of the state's dams are intact but
deficient; and
WHEREAS, the frequency of erratic and unpredictable storms
has increased in recent years, with fifteen flash flood
emergencies in 2024; and
WHEREAS, Peterson dam overtopped and its diversion
structures and channels failed; and
WHEREAS, watersheds were burned down by the Hermits Peak-
Calf Canyon fire; and
WHEREAS, Roswell, after receiving fifty percent of its
average annual rainfall in a matter of hours, and Ruidoso
experienced devastating flooding, with numerous overtopping
incidents; and
WHEREAS, the dam safety bureau of the office of the state
engineer has been actively regulating dams and updating lists
of deficient high hazard dams; and
WHEREAS, the dam safety bureau has been successful in
applying for and receiving dam rehabilitation grants, recently
completed the first phase of a screening level risk assessment
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and developed a geographic information system tool to expedite
hydrologic analysis and improve risk assessment; and
WHEREAS, while these efforts have helped the state to
identify the highest risk dams and prioritize them for risk
reduction, these efforts have also clarified that the bureau is
a regulatory agency and does not have the mandate or resources
to rehabilitate dams, nor is there a statewide program in New
Mexico to support dam rehabilitation; and
WHEREAS, the potential impact of dam failures to the state
would be catastrophic and threatens water storage, agricultural
production, public safety and key state industries; and
WHEREAS, the proactive rehabilitation and modernization of
New Mexico's dams through a statewide program would protect the
state's vital resources and industries, as well as ensure the
public's safety and welfare;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE
OF NEW MEXICO that the state of New Mexico recognize the
importance of dams and the need for timely intervention as the
risk of a catastrophic dam incident continues to rise as the
dams age without adequate maintenance and face increasingly
severe storms; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that leaders of the state be urged
to collaborate in establishing a comprehensive, statewide
program to support dam rehabilitation through identifying
needs, prioritizing projects, seeking funding and assisting dam
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owners with planning, project development, applying for grants
and managing the grants and projects; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be
transmitted to the governor, the director of the water resource
allocation program of the office of the state engineer, the
secretary of homeland security and emergency management, all
members of the legislature, the office of the state engineer
for the state engineer and for distribution to all owners and
operators of dams in New Mexico and members of the New Mexico
watershed and dam owners coalition.
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