Even though 59 percent of the non-pueblo property owners surveyed in the Pojoaque Valley have negative feelings about the proposed Aamodt water-rights settlement, according to a Research and Polling survey, policymakers say that probably won't result in any changes to the agreement, which is pending approval by Congress.

"The county believes they can win people over by a greater education process," said Sen. Jeff Bingaman's spokeswoman, Jude McCartin. "Until that is proven otherwise, there is no reason to change course." McCartin said the parties to the settlement agreement — which would resolve a decades-long water dispute between pueblo and non-pueblo residents in the Pojoaque Valley — had already agreed to the terms when the bill arrived on Bingaman's desk.

"He has to rely on the parties to come to an agreed upon settlement," McCartin said. "If they chose to change it, that decision will be made by them."

Santa Fe County Commissioner Harry Montoya said he feels the poll reveals that the community needs more information.

"It tells me there has not been a very good education process in explaining the details of the settlement," Montoya said.

But according to the poll, "those who have heard more about the Aamodt settlement tend to have a more negative opinion of it and of the proposed water system."

Research and Polling president Brian Sanderoff — whose firm was paid $16,000 to conduct the poll — said it's impossible to know if the people who reported hearing "a lot" about the settlement agreement were actually knowledgeable about the details of the deal.

"They key takeaway is that many people have a negative impression of the settlement," Sanderoff said. "But few people (28 percent, according to the poll) have heard a lot about the specific provisions."

Montoya said he was surprised by the results of the poll because he thought there had been more knowledge and awareness of the settlement agreement.

But County Manager Roman Abeyta said he was not. "We've been through several community meetings, and that's kind of what we got at the community meetings," Abeyta said. "But you don't always make decisions as a county based on what is popular or what isn't."

Abeyta said the county's overarching water policy is to move people away from wells and get them connected to community water systems.

"There are a lot of people opposed to the Buckman Direct Diversion (a joint city-county plan to divert water from the Rio Grande), and we are building that anyway because we need to get people off of groundwater," Abeyta said.

Montoya said he didn't know why the poll had not been conducted before the settlement agreement was made.

"There was probably more that needed to be done," Montoya said. He said all parties to the settlement, including the state, the pueblos and attorneys for the nonpueblo water-rights holders, shared some of the responsibility for outreach or lack thereof.

Paul White, a Chupadero resident who has lobbied against the settlement agreement, said public meetings weren't well advertised and didn't invite true dialogue.

"When the state stopped allowing discussion and only gave out information, people stopped going to them," White said. "The county basically has ignored us."

White said he delivered a petition with 1,200 signatures on it to county commissioners earlier this year, urging them to reconsider the settlement agreement.

"They have not responded to our request," White said. "And Montoya continues to go to Washington to lobby for Aamodt."

Montoya said the settlement was virtually a done deal when the poll was taken. The main purpose of the survey, Montoya said, was to gauge how many users would want to connect to a regional water system — which Santa Fe County will be required to build if the settlement is approved. That information will help the county decide how large the system needs to be, and how to pay for it.

The results of questions related to the regional water system vary depending on which part of the poll you take them from.

The 339 non-pueblo property owners who live between Tesuque and Nambé who were polled for the study were initially asked whether they supported or opposed the system.

About half, 47 percent, said they either "strongly" or "somewhat" opposed the system. About a third, 35 percent, said they supported the system. Eighteen percent of property owners said they hadn't formed an opinion or that it depended on other factors.

Not wanting to cap their wells was the No. 1 reason respondents gave for not supporting the system.

When pollsters asked respondents how they would feel if they did not have to cap their wells, about 15 percent of the previous nonsupporters said they would support it under those terms, while about 65 percent said they would still oppose the system.

But Montoya cites another part of the poll as an indicator that people are willing to hook up to a regional water system if one is built.

"Despite significant opposition to the proposed water system," reads a sentence from the poll's executive summary, "the majority of residents still feel it is important that this water system be an option available to them if they ever needed to replace their well. Specifically, 56 percent of property owners feel it is very or somewhat important to have the option to hookup, compared to 37 percent who feel it is not important at all."

Montoya, who is running for state Land Commissioner, said he is not interested in revisiting the terms of the settlement agreement. "I think it's as good as it's going to get," he said. "Those who are opposed to it, if they want to litigate it, they have that option."

The complete poll can be downloaded on the Santa Fe County Web site at www.santafecounty.org.

Correction: A previous version of this incorrectly stated that 59 percent of Pojoaque Valley residents have negative feelings about the proposed Aamodt water settlement. The story should have said 59 percent of the non-Pueblo property owners surveyed who answered the question had negative feelings about the settlement. The survey, which was paid for by Santa Fe County, polled 339 non-Pueblo landowners.

Contact Phaedra Haywood at 986-3068 or phaywood@sfnewmexican.com.