Pete Domenici: “the need for targeted restoration work in the Rio Puerco watershed came to my attention during the early 1990s. Congress…”

“the need for targeted restoration work in the Rio Puerco watershed came to my attention during the early 1990s. Congress began funding local efforts to improve the Rio Puerco area in 1992, and the Rio Puerco Management Program was formally authorized by the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996. The Rio Puerco Basin is the largest tributary to the Middle Rio Grande Basin. The watershed encompasses nearly 5 million acres and acts as drainage for portions of 7 counties in my home State of New Mexico. The Rio Puerco watershed is a major source of silt in Elephant Butte Reservoir. In fact, the Department of Interior's U.S. Geological Survey has identified the Rio Puerco as having one of the highest sediment concentrations. The objective of the collaborative program is to curtail sedimentation from washing down the Rio Puerco to the Rio Grande and Elephant Butte. As intended, this program has helped to facilitate cooperation between Federal, State, and local agencies along with local landowners to improve the health of the Rio Puerco watershed by working together to implement projects that help control erosion and reduce the flow of sediment into the Rio Grande. I believe the program has accomplished much during its tenure, and I fully support its objectives. I am pleased to join my colleague from New Mexico, Senator Bingaman, as a cosponsor of this bill, and I look forward to working with him to see that this important program is reauthorized.”