U.S. Sens. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., and Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., took part in a groundbreaking event Aug. 22, marking the initiation of the subsequent stage of the Eastern N.M. Rural Water System. The project is set to connect with an upcoming Waste Water Treatment Plant currently in development, according to an Aug. 22 news release.
“As brand new freshmen members of Congress, we landed in Washington, D.C. in 2009. That’s when Senator Luján and I voted to authorize this project then got to work as a team with all of you and our entire delegation year after year for this project,” Heinrich said in the release.
Heinrich and Luján cast their initial votes in 2009 to grant federal funding approval for the Eastern N.M. Rural Water System project, the release reported. The senators secured $322 million in federal funds to aid the project's execution through the years.
“In Washington, we would have ‘Infrastructure Week’ every year, but we never really got serious about infrastructure or had the cohesive coalition to make a real investment the way that folks did when they created the Interstate Highway System or the New Deal," Heinrich added, according to the release. "That changed with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. That was our moment to really invest in the things that will pay dividends for generations to come. Water and broadband, more than probably anything else, were the things that New Mexico needed to really create the foundation for communities like this to thrive.”
“Since serving as a member of the U.S. House, I have worked with local, state and federal leaders to deliver investments to the Eastern New Mexico Rural Water System – an important lifeline for communities like Clovis, Portales, Texico and Elida," Luján said in the release. "This project, which will strengthen the water supply, was years in the making to address the groundwater shortage in the region. I was proud to join Senator Heinrich and local leaders to break ground on the next portion of this project, and I will continue working to address the water crisis that rural New Mexicans face.”