January 24, 2024 — Last month, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham announced that New Mexico will establish the nation’s first Strategic Water Supply using advanced market commitments available to the private sector. Through a $500 million investment from existing oil and gas severance taxes, the state will pay the private sector for treated water to meet certain standards.    Information about the Strategic Water Supply program is published on New Mexico’s Environment Department website.

Fox News reports that there is opposition to financing the treatment and recycling of oil-industry wastewater due to concerns that the measure could lead to more water-intensive fracking for oil and natural gas.

Responses to Request for Information Sought.

The New Mexico Environment Department issued a Request for Information (RFI) on Jan. 19, 2024 seeking technical and economic information from individuals, businesses, academia, government agencies, and other stakeholders related to the sourcing, treatment, delivery, storage, and industrial uses of brackish water and produced water.

Individuals or organizations may submit a response to the RFI no later than 5:00 pm Mountain Time on March 31, 2024.

Download the Request for Information (RFI)

Strategic Water Supply Roadmap.

In its news release, the state’s Environment Department identified the following:

• January 19, 2024 – RFI opens.
• February 15, 2024 – New Mexico Legislative Session ends.
• February 27, 2024 – Virtual Meeting 1, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm Mountain Time
• March 1, 2024 – Virtual Meeting 2, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm Mountain Time
• March 31, 2024 – RFI closes.
• Summer 2024 – Request for Proposal and project-specific concept papers opens.
• Fall 2024 – Request for Proposal and project-specific concept papers closes.
• Fall/Winter 2024 – Anticipated awards.

Image:  Photo 76135953 | New Mexico © Miroslav Liska | Dreamstime.com