I
103D CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 4010
To improve water quality within the Rio Puerco watershed and to help
restore the ecological health of the Rio Grande through the cooperative
identification and implementation of best management practices which
are consistent with the ecological, geological, cultural, sociological, and
economic conditions in the region.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 10, 1994
Mr. RICHARDSON introduced the following bill; which was referred jointly to
the Committees on Natural Resources and Merchant Marine and Fisheries
A BILL
To improve water quality within the Rio Puerco watershed
and to help restore the ecological health of the Rio
Grande through the cooperative identification and imple-
mentation of best management practices which are con-
sistent with the ecological, geological, cultural, sociologi-
cal, and economic conditions in the region.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Rio Puerco Watershed
Act of 1994’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds that—
(1) over time, extensive ecological changes have
occurred in the Rio Puerco watershed, including—
(A) erosion of agricultural and range
lands;
(B) impairment of waters due to heavy
sedimentation;
(C) reduced productivity of renewable re-
sources;
(D) loss of biological diversity;
(E) loss of functioning riparian areas; and
(F) loss of available surface water;
(2) damage to the watershed has seriously af-
fected the economic and cultural well-being of its in-
habitants, including—
(A) loss of existing communities that were
based on the land and were self-sustaining; and
(B) adverse effects on the traditions, cus-
toms, and cultures of the affected communities;
(3) a healthy and sustainable ecosystem is es-
sential to the long-term economic and cultural viabil-
ity of the region;
(4) the impairment of the Rio Puerco watershed
has damaged the ecological and economic well-being
of the area below the junction of the Rio Puerco
with the Rio Grande including—
(A) disruption of ecological processes;
(B) water quality impairment;
(C) significant reduction in the water stor-
age capacity and life expectancy of the Ele-
phant Butte Dam and Reservoir system due to
sedimentation;
(D) chronic problems of irrigation system
channel maintenance; and
(E) increased risk of flooding caused by
sediment accumulation;
(5) the Rio Puerco is a major tributary of the
Rio Grande and the coordinated implementation of
ecosystem-based best management practices for the
Rio Puerco system could benefit the larger Rio
Grande system;
(6) the Rio Puerco watershed has been stressed
from the loss of native vegetation, introduction of
exotic species, and alteration of riparian habitat
which have disrupted the original dynamics of the
river and disrupted natural ecological processes;
(7) the Rio Puerco watershed is a mosaic of
private, Federal, tribal trust, and State land owner-
ship with diverse, sometimes differing management
objectives;
(8) development, implementation, and monitor-
ing of an effective watershed management program
for the Rio Puerco watershed requires cooperation
among—
(A) the Bureau of Land Management;
(B) the Rio Puerco Watershed Committee;
(C) the National Forest Service;
(D) the Pueblos of Acoma, Isleta, Jemez,
and Laguna;
(E) the Eastern and Canoncito Bands of
the Navajo nation;
(F) the Jicarilla Apache Tribe;
(G) the Bureau of Reclamation;
(H) the Geological Survey;
(I) the Bureau of Indian Affairs;
(J) the Fish and Wildlife Service;
(K) the Soil and Conservation Service;
(L) the Army Corps of Engineers;
(M) the National Park Service;
(N) the State of New Mexico;
(O) private landowners;
(P) local and regional governmental enti-
ties;