Three regional courts were formed in the state this week to take on water disputes.

Water courts hear cases involving water usage, irrigation districts and appeals of Office of the State Engineer decisions. Five District Court judges total will serve across the three regions, and they will be required to take annual trainings on water law and earn continuing education credits in areas like tribal water law and water rights.

Previously, a water law judge sat in each of New Mexico’s 13 judicial districts. The new regions are organized around distinct stream systems.

State Supreme Court Justice Shannon Bacon said she served as the water judge when working as the trial court judge in Albuquerque.

Water law wasn’t her “bread and butter,” Bacon said, and the frequency of cases varied widely

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