More closed-door meetings for planned regional water system

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Santa Fe County, four pueblos and the U.S. Department of the Interior have scheduled more closed-door meetings this week about roadway disputes that threaten to impede funding for a planned regional water system in the Pojoaque Basin. The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that the Bureau of Indian Affairs says some county roads trespass on tribal land. County commissioners have voted against allocating the county's share of money for the planned multimillion-dollar regional water system until the road disputes are resolved. The meetings suggest an intensified emphasis on reaching a resolution to the disputes as the Bureau of Reclamation prepares to begin construction on the water system next summer. The deadline for substantial completion of the $253 million project is 2024.