Native Vote. Deb Haaland, candidate for New Mexico governor, met Sunday with community leaders from the South Valley Regional Acequia, alongside State Senator Linda Lopez and Representative Patricia Roybal Caballero, to announce her support for securing annual and permanent funding for land grants and acequias.
The meeting focused on the importance of protecting and sustaining New Mexico’s traditional land and water management systems. Acequias—centuries-old communal irrigation networks—play a vital role in safeguarding natural and water resources in northern New Mexico while ensuring that southern communities maintain access to critical water flows.
“Acequias are living history—neighbors caring for land and water together. Protecting them will not only support our northern communities, it will strengthen local governance and preserve New Mexico’s heritage,” said Haaland. “It’s essential infrastructure for a changing environment. Let’s invest in what makes our state strong.”
Since launching her campaign for governor, Haaland has visited land grant communities and acequia associations across the state to discuss traditional stewardship practices and local needs. Earlier this year, she visited Morphy Lake in Mora County to observe the impacts of wildfire on the watershed.
Haaland has also outlined a broader plan to strengthen New Mexico’s water infrastructure. Her proposals include modernizing groundwater management in overdrawn basins, expanding statewide stormwater capture systems, and providing competitive grants for farmers to adopt modern irrigation technologies—initiatives she discussed at the Next Generation Water Summit this summer.
As U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Haaland championed policies to support rural and traditional communities. Under her leadership, acequias were recognized as traditional community water organizations eligible for water management engagement. The Bureau of Land Management also backed the Land Grant-Mercedes Traditional Use Recognition and Consultation Act, legislation Haaland previously co-sponsored in Congress to improve coordination between federal agencies and New Mexico’s land grant communities.
During her tenure, she oversaw hundreds of millions of dollars in federal investments in rural water infrastructure projects and directed funding to the New Mexico Acequia Association to bolster statewide water resilience.