Silver City -- With the federal government mired in tumultuous change and legislative polarization, the Grant County Water Commission's regional water project offers a welcome example of how local government, in partnership with Freeport McMoRan, Inc. (FMI), is working to secure water resources for residents and commercial interests well into the future.

The Grant County Water Commission (GCWC), comprised of representatives from each municipality in the county, seven domestic water associations, the Southwest New Mexico Council of Governments and FMI, continues to meet monthly with engineers from Stantec - a global engineering firm with offices in Albuquerque and Las Cruces - to make progress toward the realization of a regional water system. Stantec engineers have completed about 30% of the system design to date.

FMI is currently in the process of transferring 200-acre-feet of water rights to the Town of Hurley, which has traditionally relied on FMI to provide water to the residents of this former "company town." Santa Clara will receive 250-acre-feet of water rights from Freeport as well, and will ultimately manage water transmission and accounts for Hanover residents, who know only too well what it's like to go without water. Both Santa Clara and Bayard own some water rights, though they are located in a shallow area of the aquifer.

In addition to donating water rights, FMI is also providing up to $1 million in matching funds to the Town of Bayard for upgrades to its wastewater treatment plant. FMI's participation is widely acknowledged as the opening of the flood gates - the catalyst for solidifying this regional project.

Laura Phelps, FMI manager of social performance, explained that Freeport saw an opportunity to help "build community resiliency" to support future growth and expansion. Hurley Mayor Ed Stevens has said the regional project would be "dead in the water" without Freeport's participation, and called them a "good community partner," in this case.

Bayard officials recently purchased 675 acres of surrounding land, creating the potential for economic growth and expansion now that water resources will be secured, and transmission points more easily accessible for development.

The continued support of this private-public partnership among key state officials is helping steer the flow of state and federal infrastructure funds to the project, paving the way for its continued development.

For instance, at the March 6 meeting of the GCWC, Priscilla Lucero, executive director of the Southwest New Mexico Council of Governments, reported that the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission (ISC) has agreed to allow $1.3 million previously awarded to the City of Bayard for effluent reuse, to instead be used to design the rehabilitation of an existing well in Santa Clara, which will be part of the regional system.

The Town of Silver City has applied for $1.9 million in 2025 Colonias Infrastructure funds to equip the wells in Santa Clara, and the Town of Silver City and the Town of Hurley have each requested $1.5 million in state capital outlay funds to be used for the regional project. Those funds are uncertain until Governor Lujan Grisham actually signs the legislative appropriations into law at the close of the current session.

Lucero also reported that state capacity building funds will be available in late May, which local municipalities such as Bayard and Santa Clara may use to update their 40-year water plans. The Town of Silver City is in the process of updating its 40-year plan, and once all municipalities have updated plans, a regional plan will be developed for the system as a whole.

Customers, of course, want to know how the regional system will ultimately affect their water bills, but it's too soon to know the answer to that question. At the March 6 meeting, Silver City Town Manager Alex Brown, who was re-elected as chairperson of the commission at that meeting, agreed to work with the clerks from the other municipalities, as well as a representative from the Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC) -- a non-profit corporation that provides training, technical and financial resources to rural communities -- to begin outlining day-to-day functions of the water commission, which is currently operating under a joint powers agreement.

Hurley water customers are likely to see the greatest relief from higher water bills, given that they've already been paying for prior infrastructure costs incurred by the Town of Hurley. Based on debt incurred thus far to develop the regional system, costs for most users will likely increase minimally over time, said Brown, who has been working hard for nearly 20 years to bring this project to fruition, in part to ease pressure on the Silver City municipal water system, thereby pushing any need to expand current capacity well into the distant future.

This project, the first of its kind in New Mexico, offers a win-win for all members of the commission, he explained, and ensures that water customers will have access to safe, potable water for decades to come, as well as a back-up water source in case of emergency.

"A regional system offers cost savings and efficiencies far beyond what each municipality could manage alone," he said. "And knowing that our water system is secured, accessible, well-maintained and easy to connect to, is a huge benefit to developers, which supports economic development in Grant County and beyond. It truly is a win-win for residents, businesses and local government. I'm grateful to Freeport for their participation and ongoing support, as well as to all of the commissioners for their hard work and dedication to this vital public utility."