Settlement reached on Buckman project
Lawsuit filed in 2018 over ongoing problems with water diversion
The joint board of the Santa Fe city and county Buckman Direct Diversion recently reached a settlement with one group of defendants in a lawsuit against the firms responsible for designing and constructing the decade-old, $255 million water project.
The board filed a lawsuit in state District Court in 2018 outlining a variety of issues with the river diversion and treatment plant, including problems with pipes and pumps used to transport the water.
Details were not immediately available on the agreement between the Buckman board and CH2M Hill/Western Summit Constructors, which handled the project’s design and construction.
A lawsuit against CDM Smith Inc., the project’s engineering firm, is still ongoing.
The Buckman Direct Diversion board discussed the settlement Thursday in executive session. Long, Komer and Associates, the law firm that represents the board, shared a statement Monday on the settlement, noting neither party in the case admitted fault.
“The Board has vigorously prosecuted that lawsuit, and the claims in the lawsuit have also been vigorously disputed by the defendants,” the statement read. “No party to the settlement has admitted fault or wrongdoing. The settlement will, however, allow the Board to address some of the difficulties encountered at the Project since its completion. The lawsuit will continue against the other defendant.”
A lawyer for CH2M Hill/Western Summit Constructors declined to comment Monday, instead referring questions to another attorney, Jim Archibald.
Archibald said he was not authorized to comment at this time.
Buckman, completed in 2011, diverts water from the Rio Grande to a water treatment plant for use by consumers in the Santa Fe area.
Since its start, the diversion has been rife with problems, including consternation over corrosive sand particles making their way into the water system. The issues have been costly.
Ultimately, the board allocated $500,000 to fix four raw-water pumps at the site.