Middle Rio Grande Regional Water Plan

developing updated steering committees based on criteria from the Handbook and
recommendations from the stakeholders. (The steering committee and master stakeholder lists
for the Middle Rio Grande region are provided in Section 2.2.1 and Appendix 2-A, respectively.)
These individuals were identified through research, communication with other water user group
representatives in the region, contacting local organizations and entities, and making phone calls.
Steering committee members represent the different water users groups identified in the
Handbook and have water management expertise and responsibilities.
The steering committee was tasked with four main responsibilities:
• Provide input to the water user groups they represent and ensure that other concerned or
interested individuals receive information about the water planning process and meetings.
• Provide direction on the public involvement process, including setting meeting times and
locations and promoting outreach.
• Identify water-related PPPs needed to address water management challenges in the region
and future water needs.
• Comment on the draft Middle Rio Grande Regional Water Plan 2017, as well as gather
public comments. (Appendix 2-B includes a summary of comments on the technical and
legal sections of the document that were prepared by the NMISC [Sections 1, 3,4,5,6,
and7] and comments received from the public on Section 8.)
In 2016, the NMISC continued to support regional steering committees by facilitating three
additional steering committee meetings open to the public in each of the 16 regions. The
purpose of these meetings was to provide the regions with their draft technical sections that the
NMISC had developed and for the regions to further refine their strategies for meeting future
water challenges.
Throughout the regional water planning process all meetings were open to the public. Members
of the public who have an interest in water were invited directly or indirectly through a steering
committee representative to participate in the regional water planning process
Section 2.2 provides additional detail regarding the public involvement process for the Middle
Rio Grande 2017 regional water plan.
2.2 Public Involvement in the Middle Rio Grande Planning Process
This section documents the steering committee and public involvement process used in updating
the plan and documenting ideas generated by the region for future public involvement in the
implementation of the plan.
Middle Rio Grande Regional Water Plan 2017 6