LAND GRANT-MERCED & ACEQUIA INFRASTRUCTURE

HB 330 creates a trust fund to provide infrastructure funding for New Mexico's land grant-merced communities and acequias (traditional irrigation systems). The bill establishes two project funds: one for land grant-merced communities to support water systems, roads, health facilities, and economic development projects, and another for acequias to fund irrigation repairs, flood protection, and water efficiency improvements. Annual distributions from the trust fund will finance these projects through grants and loans, with specific eligibility rules set by a land grant council and the water commission. The bill is currently pending in the New Mexico Senate after passing the House but was postponed indefinitely on June 3, 2025.