By Rodd Cayton — An East Mountains community may be approaching a stable water future. The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission has put a review of the proposed transfer of the Melody Ranch Water Co. to a larger utility on the fast track. The Estancia, Moriarty, Williard, and Torrance County Regional Water Association (EMWT) has signed a transfer agreement with Melody Ranch under which EMWT would take ownership of Melody Ranch’s water system, including its wells, equipment, property, and water rights, at no cost.
A commission news release states that the move represents an important step toward a long-term solution for Melody Ranch customers who have faced challenges since a system breakdown caused a complete loss of service in July 2025. The commission’s decision follows a motion from the NMPRC’s Public Interest Advocacy Staff requesting an expedited review of the proposed deal. Advocacy staff say an accelerated review would benefit residents by helping move long-term water system improvements forward more quickly. By speeding up the timeline, the release states, the commission can consider the proposed transfer more quickly while still conducting a thorough evaluation. Interested parties will have until Nov. 16 to participate in the case (public comments may be entered through the PRCe360 Portal or emailed to public.comment@prc.nm.gov. If no objections are raised, the commission could consider a final decision as early as Dec. 3.
Under the proposed agreement, EMWT would not take on Melody Ranch’s existing debts, and Melody Ranch customers would not see any new charges or on their bills, according to the news release. State officials say the expedited review is particularly critical with a looming Dec. 31 expiration date for a temporary water-hauling program authorized by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham after the system failure. That deadline makes the adoption of a permanent solution urgent. The transfer would allow EMWT to develop a new well for the community and, ultimately, a pipeline connecting the system with Moriarty. “Together, those improvements are expected to provide a more reliable long-term water supply for residents,” the release states.
The commission began receiving complaints in June that Melody Ranch was not supplying water and couldn’t tell residents when service would resume. PRC staff later conducted a site visit that reportedly confirmed the infrastructure failures. State regulators are coordinating with multiple agencies to restore water service to a community that has been without reliable water since June. Since then, a coalition has been working on getting reliable service restored.
The commission now maintains an information page regarding Melody Ranch, to which updates are posted.