Acequias (ditches) are the lifeblood of nature in Los Ranchos. MRGCD maintains the major arteries, but community and private ditches are too often neglected.
FOLR is committed to their preservation.
This means helping establish means for improvements as needed and maintenance in perpetuity.
Acequias provide irrigation for agriculture and also support the canopy that is vital to our Village’s health, recreation, wildlife, appeal and property value.
Too many of our ditches are choked with weeds or otherwise dysfunctional. When ditches are poorly maintained, inefficient, or inoperative, MRGCD withholds water from them.
Please help us preserve the ditches. Los Ranchos’ natural beauty depends on them.
Below are resources for the advocacy work we do together.
Our Strategic Basis
2035 Master Plan (complete)
MRGCD & Los Ranchos
The Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District (MRGCD) owns and maintains the major ditches (acequias) that supply Los Ranchos and the North Valley.
In the Village’s Master Plan: Ditches file is a map showing MRGCD ditches in blue and other ditches in dark grey. map only
MRGCD’s website provides extensive resources around water planning, irrigation, ditches, engineering, mapping, and much more.
The MRGCD Data Viewer provides the most current and complete available mapping of our water distribution network.
We are primarily concerned with those ditches that the MRGCD does NOT maintain, which we are calling Community and Private Ditches.
Acequia
Association
FOLR is leading an effort to create a state-recognized Acequia Association for a region whose boundaries have not yet been determined. We would like to include North Valley communities outside of Los Ranchos.
Meetings:
FOLR meeting August 9, 2026 responding to proposed Village ordinance changes:
Acequia Association formation meeting #1, Oct 25, 2026:
AA Formation Meeting #2, Nov 8, 2026:
Acequia Association Benefits:
- Eligible for NM state grants for ditch repair and maintenance
- MRGCD assistance with administration
- More influence over MRGCD’s ditch and water allocation decisions
- Authority to set and enforce standards for ditch maintenance
Acequia Association Challenges:
- Requires ditch and adjacent owner consensus
- Complicated, lengthy process
- Requires avoidance of creating opposition
- Requires Village buy-in
- Many disparate problems & voices
New Mexico
Acequia
Association
“The mission of the New Mexico Acequia Association (NMAA) is to protect water and our acequias, grow healthy food for our families and communities, and to honor our cultural heritage.”
The NMAA Governance Project works “to strengthen acequia governance through community education, technical assistance, and legal assistance.” They provide resources and support for newly forming local and regional acequia associations.
They provide a bylaws template to serve as a starting point for the formation of acequia associations.