SUN Staff Report
The Santa Cruz Irrigation District recently saw a significant influx of cash, thanks to a little-known conservancy district that hasn’t been active since the mid-1970s.
First Judicial District Judge Stephen Pfeffer granted a Writ of Quo Warranto Sept. 26 to dissolve the now-defunct El Llano Conservancy District and transfer $158,001 worth of funds through the city of Española to the Irrigation District for capital improvement projects.
Court documents state the Conservancy District was established in 1970 under the name, “Oñate Conservancy District.” After a name change in 1971, the newly-christened El Llano Conservancy District began proposals for the “El Llano Project,” which would have brought water from the Colorado River to the Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo, the Santa Clara Pueblo and non-tribal land in the Española Valley.
The Conservancy District only received 110,000 acre-feet per year of water, after expecting 235,000, effectively killing the project. The Conservancy District ceased operations, though it still existed as an entity and maintained a bank account.
The Conservancy District’s surviving board members, Henry Trujillo and C.B. Romero, filed a joint petition for Writ of Quo Warranto, Sept. 12. Pfeffer stated in his ruling the Conservancy District was established to benefit “‘agricultural lands or lands susceptible (to) irrigation or agricultural development,” making the monetary transfer from the Conservancy District to the Irrigation District legally valid.
The Española City Council voted to become the fiscal agent Aug. 13. City documents state the city distributed the funds to the Irrigation District Oct. 28.