Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Bosque Farms Council OKs work on wells, addresses arsenic in water

Kenn Rodriguez News-Bulletin Staff Writer; krodriguez@news-bulletin.com

Bosque Farms Water issues were on the minds of the Bosque Farms Village Council at Thursday night's regular meeting.

The council unanimously approved action on a contract with Albuquerque-based ASCG Incorporated of New Mexico to begin work on the redesign of the village's water tower No. 1.

After a lengthy discussion, the council approved a motion to accept the agreement between the village and ASCG Inc. for a sum not to exceed $56,014.

The village received $100,000 from the New Mexico State Legislature to redesign and refurbish water tower No. 1, which has been in service for 17 years.

Thom Knowlton of ASCG Inc. said further testing of the well would be required, including pulling plates from the floor of the tank to determine the amount of corrosion that has occurred.

If the corrosion of the tank is extensive enough, Knowlton said, then the village may have to replace the floor plate, which would be a large additional cost.

The original project included resurfacing of the interior of the tank as well as testing to determine if the paint used at installation was lead-based.

Mayor Pro-temp, councilor Bob Knowlton, who presided over the council meeting in place of Mayor Wayne Ake who was absent, said the project would be done in phases and payment would be given at the completion of each of the phases.

"They do the first phase, they figure out what the total scope is going to be," he said. "They give us an estimate on what it's going to cost to do the actual tank rehab."

Bob Knowlton said the plan was to do the work in spring 2007 but it could be moved back to the following fall. The big concern had been whether well no. 2 could handle the demands of the entire village, which Bob Knowlton said it could so long as the work on well No. 1 was done in spring or fall and not in the peak-use summer period.

The refurbishment of the tank at well no. 1 would take at least a month, he said.

The council also held a lengthy discussion on the village's attempts to become compliant with the Environmental Protection Agency's new arsenic regulations.

In January of this year, the EPA changed the allowable limit for arsenic in drinking water from 50 parts per billion to 10 parts per billion.

According to Knowlton, the village's water supply registered concentrations of 14 parts per billion and 12 p.p.b. when tested recently by the New Mexico Environment Department.

The village has been granted an extension, or an exemption as termed by the EPA, until 2008 to correct the problem. New Mexico is one of many states where arsenic is found naturally in water supplies.

According to the Albuquerque Journal, arsenic is a metal found in volcanic rocks and soil as well as being used in pesticides and some manufacturing processes. It has been linked to several cancers as well as skin and digestive system illnesses.

Knowlton said the NMED has shown willingness to work with small communities in the state that, like Bosque Farms, are struggling to come up with the money to conform with the new standards.

"If we're able to show them that we're making active participation towards meeting that standard, even if we're not done by 2008, then they'll more than likely grant us additional extensions," he said, "Not for too long, but they would basically work with us."

In his report to the council, Knowlton said the village, with help from Sandia National Labs, had identified several areas where the village could drill a new well that register below the 10 p.p.b limit. The existing well has tested at times below the threshold, but treatment on water from those wells still may be necessary.

One promising lead, Knowlton said, came from Advanced Remediation Systems of Bernalillo. The company has been testing a new technology for treating arsenic that involved aluminum plating.

The company is currently operating a pilot plant at the water treatment plant of the town of Bernalillo.

Funding for the project could come from three separate sources said Knowlton — an Army Corps of Engineers program, state funding from the Infrastructure Capital Improvement Plan, or the Water Trust Fund or a low-interest loan through the Rural Utility Service.

If approved to participate in the Army Corps of Engineers program, the Corps of Engineers would pay for 75 percent of the design and construction costs incurred by the project, and the village would pay the remaining 25 percent.

Knowlton said the state funding options are bolstered by Governor Bill Richardson' recent proclamation that 2007 would be the Year of Water. He also added that the low-interest loan is the "least desirable option."

"At this point, we just need to be very methodical and plan out what the best approach is for us," he said. "Get the funding if we can from the government and just work on that process with an engineering firm. The engineering firm that we'd put on contract after securing some funding would dictate what that schedule is."

In other council business, the council heard a report from village Police Chief Joe Stidham. Stidham reported that the village had issued 519 citations, made 34 arrests including two DWI and five alcohol-related arrests in October.

The arrests covered 13 categories ranging from DWI to criminal damage to fraud and embezzlement. The chief also reported that the village had ordered a new DWI trailer to replace the older, smaller one currently in use.

He also reported that the department was in the final stages of the hiring process for a new director of the village's central dispatch facility. He said the top three candidates had been chosen and a recommendation to the council would come soon.

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