Crossposted from UNBOSSED
Governor Bill Richardson is seeking Outstanding National Resource Waters (ONRW) protection under the federal Clean Water Act for a little more than 5,300 miles of New Mexico's rivers and streams.
Another precedent-setting move from New Mexico.
The Clean Water Act allows state Water Quality Control Commissions to designate certain important waters in the state as Outstanding National Resource Waters, thereby affording those waters the utmost protection under the Clean Water Act.
It is an interesting and under-used tool.
Essentially, rivers and streams eligible for designation as ONRW are those on Federal lands such as National Forest, Bureau of Land Management, wildlife refuge and wilderness area. They are waters that are of high quality and haven't been significantly modified by human activities.
Basically, ONRW says that the waters designated cannot be "degraded" beyond the condition they were in when the designation was made. So, while an ONRW designation does not prohibit activites on lands surrounding designated waters, it forces potential polluters to protect those waters while engaging in thier activities - be that oil and gas development, road building, timber harvesting or what have you. This could result in higher costs to develop a piece of land, forcing some to choose not to develop.
These waters are vital to our arid state. They supply drinking water to many of our towns and cities and support our multi-billion dollar recreation economy.
In a word, it allows a state to control its own waters and plan its own future.
The ONRW designation was first tested by the conservation group Amigos Bravos of Taos, NM about five years ago for the Rio Santa Barbara in the Pecos Wilderness of northern New Mexico. Two years later, the Coalition for the Valle Vidal, working with Governor Richardson had all of the waters in the Valle Vidal unit of the Carson National Forest designated as ONRWs in an ultimately successful attempt to keep oil and gas development out of the area.
The Governor and conservation groups have been seeking such a statewide designation for several years, but Richardson decided to make the announcement Tuesday in honor of Earth Day.
Now, the ONRW proposal will be sent to New Mexico's Surface Water Quality Bureau. Then, the bureau will hold a series of public meetings to gather comment. Finally, the proposal goes to the New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission for approval.
New Mexico is kicking open doors right and left these days when it comes to conservation.