Water Matters! has been updated and expanded again for the 2009 New Mexico legislative session. The contributions of Representative Andy Nuñez to water matters in New Mexico are acknowledged and new papers and maps have been added. Click on the link below for a pdf version of the entire handbook. Also below are links to pdf versions of the 2007 article about Representative Joe Stell and the 2008 article on Senator Carlos Cisneros.

Water Matters! ( PDF document )

Joe Stell Article - 2007 ( PDF document )

Carlos Cisneros Article - 2008 ( PDF document )

Water Matters! is prepared for the New Mexico Legislature and others, to put water issues in a broad context and provide background on how the issues have evolved. This project began in 2007 with the idea of preserving the legal, political and philosophical thoughts of public figures presently making history. Themes include New Mexico water legislation, water administration, water rights adjudication, and water planning.

The first edition of the booklet was entitled Water Matters! A Primer on Water Issues for Members of the 48th New Mexico State Legislature and was distributed to all the legislators in January 2007. This edition highlighted the contributions of Joe Stell, who retired after 20 years in the New Mexico House of Representatives. The articles were updated and additional articles were included in the 2008 edition of Water Matters! which highlighted the career of Senator Carlos Cisneros, the Water Legislator of the Year.

The Utton Center will update the articles each year and add to the compilation, so that Water Matters! will always be an up-to-date "encyclopedia" of New Mexico water legislation.