Water for Pojoaque: Plan moves along
Plans for the Pojoaque Basin Regional Water System Development are chugging along — with an important milestone taking place this week. On Monday, the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation concluded the comments portion necessary to prepare its final Environmental Impact Statement for the water system. These comments — whether by letter, email or from four public meetings on the system — now will be used to prepare the Environmental Impact Statement scheduled to be completed some time in mid- to late-2017.
After a final impact statement is released, a record of decision will be issued, perhaps in early 2018, detailing how the water system will be built. (Read more about the project and its impact at www.sites.google.com/site/pbwatereis/home. The site has a wealth of information. In addition to water system, the impact statement is considering the effects of improving irrigation from the Rio Pojoaque, a much-needed wastewater system at San Ildefonso Pueblo and modification of the Rio Tesuque Channel.)
The proposed regional water system would deliver drinkable water to various pueblo and county residents in the Pojoaque Basin through collection and treatment of water from the Rio Grande. The system is a result of the Aamodt Litigation Settlement Act, a painful and drawn-out lawsuit over water resources dating back to 1966. The settlement signed in 2010 contemplated the construction of a water system — unwelcome to many valley residents — as well as allowing for up to 4,000 acre-feet per year (afy) of water to be diverted from the Rio Grande, and allocation of 2,500 afy of water to the four pueblos involved and up to 1,500 afy allocated to Santa Fe County. The intent is for residents of the Pojoaque Basin to become less reliant on groundwater so that the aquifer does not become depleted. (New Mexican owner Robin Martin, who lives in Nambé, is party to this settlement.)
As it moves forward, the federal authorities must be careful to take into consideration the many comments on the proposed water system. Already, residents’ comments have pointed out installing solar arrays to power the facilities would avoid overhead lines.
Pipelines to carry the water obviously will be needed, but those installations must be done carefully to avoid damaging the roots of old-growth cottonwood trees. With 165 miles to 193 miles of pipeline — depending on the design chosen — the route must be considered carefully.
Because the region depends so heavily on tourism, all construction and planning must be done with an eye to appearance — not to be frivolous, but because the economy depends on visitors attracted by the area’s scenic beauty. Just as with proposed construction of new power lines, a regional water system should not detract from nature. That’s why solar power makes sense from the beginning, as does burying power lines and camouflaging tanks and pumping stations.
One neighbor of the proposed system, the Santa Fe Opera, is asking planners to think more deeply about proposed water storage facilities that could be built north of the opera property on what has been the Tesuque Flea Market site. A preferred plan for the system would include building a large water tank — some 500,000 gallons — on the site of the recently closed market.
At 58-feet high and 39 feet in diameter with the necessary outbuildings and fences to enclose the place, the storage facility could bring visual blight next door to one of the state’s top cultural attractions. There are safety concerns, too, with opera officials worried that a chlorinating building in the plan could pose a potential chemical risk. Noise is a factor, too. The opera’s open-air rehearsal and performance spaces are close by.
With as many as 700 summer employees and 80,000 audience members each year, the opera is an essential cog in our economy, with an estimated $200 million impact annually. Its concerns must be taken into consideration as the final statement is prepared.
Perhaps an underground tank at the flea market site is a possibility, or a different site — considering such options is just another part of completing the process for this contentious regional water system. With comments gathered and resident reactions on the record, the work begins to put a final plan together — one that delivers water, preserves the beauty of the area and takes into consideration the health and safety of visitors and residents.