Service back at water plant after 20-day closure

The city’s wastewater treatment plant is back up and running after an equipment malfunction caused a 20-day shutdown that ended Sunday.

But unlike a problem last year that forced the temporary closure of two golf courses and the athletic fields at the Municipal Recreation Complex, the latest shutdown had minimal impact.

Only contractors who use reclaimed water for dust control were affected, Shannon Jones, the city’s public utilities director, wrote in an email Monday.

“City staff directed them to county water services on Highway 14,” he wrote. “Golf courses that utilize reclaimed water for irrigation were not adversely affected [and] did not request any supplemental water.”

Jones noted last year’s problem at the wastewater treatment plant started in June, when watering demands are higher.

“The golf courses could have asked for supplemental water [but] they did not because it’s been raining and cool,” he wrote.

Last year, city workers discovered a problem in the treatment process of the reclaimed water, prompting a short closure of some athletic fields and the city-owned Marty Sanchez Links de Santa Fe golf course, as well as portions of the Santa Fe Country Club, which uses treated wastewater to irrigate its golf course.

At the time, the City Council approved a request to spend between $60,000 and $110,000 to cover the cost of using potable water at the city-owned recreation facilities to keep the grass alive. Jones explained then that the

Paseo Real wastewater treatment plan had experienced an “upset” of its clarification process, resulting in bacteria counts that exceeded permit limits. The latest problem was related to sediment and filtration issues caused by an equipment malfunction.

“Replacement parts took longer than usual to receive,” Jones wrote.

The shutdown was initiated March 3 when sample requirements were out of compliance, he wrote.