Lawsuit filed as city’s water system faces major issues

The $255 million Buckman Direct Diversion project, which draws water out of the Rio Grande for delivery to Santa Fe city and county consumers, has been plagued with costly problems since the system came online in 2011.

The board that oversees the water-diversion system filed a lawsuit Thursday in state District Court against a group of firms responsible for planning, designing, engineering and building the project, claiming “numerous serious and fundamental flaws in planning, design, and construction have caused the [the board] to incur substantial damages.”

None of the companies named in the lawsuit — which include CDM Smith Inc., Western Summit Constructors, CH2M Hill Constructors Inc. and TIC Holdings Inc. — responded to requests for comment on the case.

The Buckman Direct Diversion Board said in a statement issued Thursday that

none of the system’s problems affect the quality of the water sent to consumers, and the board does not anticipate the suit will cause any unplanned shutdowns or outages.

“The litigation represents [the board’s] effort to hold those engineering and design/build firms, which were paid substantial sums of money … accountable for their failures,” the statement said.

The 278-page lawsuit details a number of issues with the water diversion project, including problems collecting water and problems with pipes and pumps used to transport the water more than 11 miles uphill to a water treatment plant.

The diversion project was a joint venture between the city of Santa Fe and Santa Fe County.

City spokesman Matt Ross said Thursday the city does not comment on pending litigation.

County spokeswoman Kristine Mihelcic did not immediately return a call seeking comment Friday.