Funding sustainable water infrastructure solutions: a uniform approach

Abstract

Located in the desert southwest New Mexico is a highly arid sparsely inhabited state mostly covered by mountains, high plains and desert. Water is a scarce resource. Over the past century drought has devastated the state. Water infrastructure funding is also increasingly scarce. Through a bipartisan effort New Mexico has implemented a sustainable water policy utilizing an interagency approach to water infrastructure project identification, prioritization and funding. Since inception the so-called Sustainable Water Infrastructure Management (SWIM) approach has logged over 800 proposed water/wastewater infrastructure projects in its growing knowledge bank. Of these projects more than 200 have been funded. Along with this, viable projects not yet funded receive ongoing assistance, guidance and support in their efforts to improve organization-wide performance utilizing management approaches and systems to increasingly move beyond utility management toward sustainability. Proposed projects not meeting initial uniform funding criteria also receive assistance in their efforts take actions to increase the likelihood of funding in the future. This paper is an overview of New Mexico’s uniform funding approach to bring about secure and sustainable water infrastructure in the state.