Support for New Mexico Environment Department Strategic Water Supply Grant Program

To help protect New Mexico’s freshwater resources, the 2025 Strategic Water Supply Act authorized the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) and the Office of the State Engineer to award grants and contracts for brackish water exploration, production, and treatment projects. With an initial $40 million appropriation and an aggressive launch timeline, NMED required immediate, end-to-end support to stand up a new, complex grant and contract program. NMED selected ERG to support the rapid design and launch of the state’s first Strategic Water Supply Grant Program, while ensuring clear eligibility requirements, transparent evaluation criteria, and a defensible selection process.

ERG rapidly mobilized a multidisciplinary team with expertise in water policy, grant program design, and public-sector implementation. Within the first month, ERG delivered an actionable program roadmap and partnered closely with NMED to move from concept to launch. We began by defining program vision, goals, and objectives and establishing eligible entities, project types, and funding structures. Working with NMED, we developed evaluation and scoring criteria for each project category and created grant application materials to ensure complete, decision-ready submissions. We then led the application review and evaluation process, and ERG communication specialists developed outreach and communication materials, including flyers and website content. Our work helped ensure that the Strategic Water Supply Grant Program launched efficiently, equitably, and in alignment with the state’s long-term water resilience goals, enabling NMED to select awardees and announce $40 million in funding on schedule by the end of 2025.