November 27, 2007--State engineer estimates settling water rights at $300 million (Las Cruces Sun-News)
New Mexico State Engineer John D'Antonio has estimated it would cost $300 million over 55 years to settle all the water rights claims on New Mexico's rivers and streams. The money is necessary to finalize water rights in court in a process known as adjudication. Funds pay for attorneys, water surveys and notifying people who claim water rights, D'Antonio told a Monday hearing of the Water and Natural Resources Committee. The issue becomes more complicated when a river involves Indian water rights, like the Rio Grande and the San Juan River do. Less than a fourth of the water rights in the state have been adjudicated.
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