Scott Verhines, a civil engineer from Albuquerque with more than 30 years of experience on water and transportation projects, was named Thursday as New Mexico's top water manager by Gov. Susana Martinez.

Verhines will serve as state engineer and Estevan Lopez will continue as director of the Interstate Stream Commission.

The governor's selection of Verhines is one of her most important decisions since taking office earlier this year. The state engineer is New Mexico's water czar — a critical job in a drought-plagued state.

Verhines will oversee the allocation of water for farmers, ranchers, communities and industry. The state engineer also protects New Mexico's rights to water in rivers and streams that cross state boundaries.

"As we face some of the driest conditions in New Mexico's history, responsible water resource management is more important than ever," Martinez said in a statement.

She said Verhines and Lopez "face serious challenges to preserve and maintain New Mexico's water supply while ensuring that resources are available to those who rely on them to make our state thrive."

Verhines replaces John D'Antonio, who is leaving to join the Army Corps of Engineers in Albuquerque. D'Antonio had held the job since his appointment in 2003 by then Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson.

Verhines, 55, is a Republican who owns a consulting engineering firm with offices in Albuquerque and Roswell. He was born in Albuquerque but grew up in Santa Fe and Artesia.

Verhines has served since 2003 as program manager for the Eastern New Mexico Water Authority, a $500 million regional project that provides water to communities in Curry and Roosevelt counties.

He earned an undergraduate degree in civil engineering in 1979 from Texas Tech University. He also has master's degrees in civil engineering and business administration from The University of New Mexico.

Lopez, from Peñasco, has been director of the Interstate Stream Commission since 2003. The commission oversees New Mexico's compliance with interstate water compacts, such as one governing the Rio Grande. The director also serves as deputy state engineer.

Commission chairman Jim Dunlap said many of the decisions water managers will have to make in the coming years will be tough.

"The administration of water in a time of drought is nearly impossible to do when you don't have any water to administrate," he said, adding that he hopes Verhines will consider working out shortage sharing agreements with water users before issuing any priority calls on New Mexico's rivers.

Drought will not be Verhines' only problem. The State Engineer's Office is understaffed and funding for water projects is not what it used to be, said Bruce Thomson, an engineering professor and director of the Water Resources Program at The University of New Mexico.

"The successes that we've achieved in the last 10 years have all been very, very expensive," Thomson said, pointing to a series of water settlements with Native American tribes and the pipeline project in Eastern New Mexico.

One of the biggest challenges will be adjudicating New Mexico's water rights. That involves a court procedure to establish who owns which water rights and whether those rights have priority over other water users.

Adjudication in the Lower Rio Grande has been going on for more than two decades and involves fewer than 20,000 litigants. Along the Middle Rio Grande, there could be as many as 150,000 litigants, and that process has yet to start.

On Verhines' plate will also be meeting interstate compact obligations for delivering water to Texas and Mexico and endangered species demands.

Thomson described it as a "tough, tough job." However, he said Verhines, who happens to be one of his former students, would make a superb state engineer.



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