Wilson supports pipeline funding

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Heather Wilson (R-NM) today welcomed passage of H.R. 5710, the Eastern New Mexico Rural Water System Authorization Act that will establish the Ute water pipeline. This bill authorizes construction of a pipeline from the Ute Reservoir that will carry water to several communities in Curry and Roosevelt counties.

Under the proposed bill, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is authorized to spend up to $327 million to assist the Eastern New Mexico Rural Water Authority (ENMRWA) in the construction of the pipeline. The state of New Mexico and the ENMRWA, which represents communities in eastern New Mexico that will benefit from the pipeline, will contribute 25 percent of the cost of construction. ENMRWA will operate and maintain the pipeline.