Acequias: The Lifeblood of Our Communities
By Kenneth Salazar, Former Chairman, Santa Cruz Irrigation District Board, and HECHO’s HCLC member from New Mexico.
My ties to acequia culture run deep. Long before my time, Native peoples diverted water from rivers to sustain their communities. When the Spaniards arrived more than 400 years ago, they introduced what became the modern acequia system, an irrigation network that we still rely on today. Acequias are community-based systems with a rich history rooted in Spanish colonial times, and they remain vital to local agriculture and to the social fabric of our communities.
My own family has been part of that history for generations. My ancestors helped establish the Santa Cruz Irrigation District in New Mexico back in 1925. I was introduced to acequia agriculture as a child, but it wasn’t until later, after college, marriage, and settling in La Mesilla, about five miles south of Española, that I truly became involved. That’s when I began farming seriously and irrigating through the Santa Cruz Irrigation District.
Like many others, I rely on that system for my livelihood. I grow produce that I sell in southern Colorado, where my roots are. I became involved in acequia management because I lived at the end of the line and I wasn’t getting water. I complained like everyone else, and eventually someone said, “Well, why don’t you do something about it?” Before I knew it, I was helping run the system. Ironically, once I did, I finally started getting the water I needed.
My goal was simple: make sure water was distributed fairly. Each section was assigned specific days for irrigation, instead of everyone just taking what they could. The system I oversaw included 26 acequias and about 2,100 parciantes, with roughly 300 irrigators per community. Water was released from the dam on a schedule. It was crucial to ensure fair and equitable distribution.
I’ve spent 25 to 30 years working on acequia and water issues. I started in the late 1990s as a local ditch commissioner. That eventually led to a 23-year tenure as chairman of the Santa Cruz Irrigation District. Along the way, I also served with the East Rio Arriba Soil and Water Conservation District and later became president of the New Mexico Soil and Water Conservation District Association. I stepped away from that role about three years ago.
In the old days, life was harder physically but simpler in terms of regulation. The mayordomo ran the system. He decided when people received water and how it was distributed. He wasn’t just managing irrigation; he was a community leader, almost like a mayor. Back then, most water came from surface sources, and there was little concern about groundwater.
As New Mexico became a state, things changed. Water rights tied to Spanish land grants became legally recognized, and over time the system grew more complex. Managing water today means understanding entire watersheds, lakes, rivers, tributaries, and infrastructure, and balancing competing demands.
That’s why I believe conservation starts with good management and strong infrastructure. When you have capable commissioners and mayordomos who distribute water fairly, conservation happens naturally, assuming Mother Nature cooperates.
In 2003, acequias became political subdivisions of the state, along with adding water-transfer language to state statute. That gave acequias legal authority and helped strengthen the system. I was deeply involved in this process.
For New Mexico to truly manage and conserve water statewide, the state must first know who owns the water and how much. Adjudication is essential. Once water rights are clearly defined, we can have meaningful conversations about conservation, infrastructure investment, and water-sharing agreements.
This is especially important now, as drought continues to strain our resources. Ranchers, farmers, pueblos, and cities all need certainty. When everyone knows their allotment, it becomes possible to share water responsibly during shortages. That clarity protects communities, preserves tradition, and ensures that acequia culture, built on cooperation and fairness, can continue for generations to come.