Wednesday, April 2, 2008

State reviews N.M. 47 plans for unimproved Peralta "gap"

Sandy Battin News-Bulletin Staff Writer; sbattin@news-bulletin.com

Peralta The time may be nearing to closing "the gap."

That was the message brought to the Peralta Town Council Wednesday by Debbie Bauman of the State Department of Transportation.

"The Gap Project" is the term being applied to the reconstruction of N.M. 47 through Peralta — an area in the "gap" between the completed roads in Los Lunas and Bosque Farms.

Bauman said a consultant is reviewing the plans drawn up by the transportation department about 10 years ago.

The plan had four lanes with a turn lane, curbs and gutters and seven ponds for drainage — "that's pretty much where the community and the department butted heads a little bit," she said, adding that the public wanted the area to retain its rural atmosphere.

The ponds and curbs were especially an issue, she said, because people felt they "really took away from the flavor of the community" and that people objected to "taking that much agricultural land" out of the mix for the ponds.

Larry Velasquez, the new district engineer, is studying the plans in the wake of a mounting accident and safety problem, Bauman said.

Among the issues being studied is whether drainage can be handled in a different way — water trained toward ditches along the road or in a smaller number of multiple-use ponds.

In about a month, the department will come back to the council and citizens of Peralta with possible scenarios for the project.

Some ponding will probably be necessary, she said, because "there's a lot of water the road will generate once you put in that center turn lane."

But the ground water may be deeper than previously thought, she said, and that could affect the plans. "The ponds might not have to be as big," she said.

Other uses for the ponds, such as having soccer fields around them, landscaping or even developing a pond with trails and environmental education potential for Peralta Elementary School could be explored.

But, she said, the ponds did not have to be the "stereotypical big hole with a chain link fence around it."

One woman wondered why the ponds should be built right along the highway rather than letting that land be used for commercial purposes.

"I hear you. Why would we have ponds dotting the main road?" Bauman said.

A citizen asked if streetlights would be included. Bauman said that probably isn't part of the plan, but "it would make sense" and that some agreement on funding could possibly be discussed with the town.

The plans would be changed, "depending on how much refinement there may be," she said.

"How much say-so will we have?" asked Mayor Bryan Olguin.

Bauman said that the department hopes to negotiate a compromise for "what's best for community safety."

But she said that, because federal funding would be involved, certain things are a given. For instance, the road may have to be designed with a 100-year storm in mind.

"Our hope is we will be able to come to some sort of compromise," she said.

Bauman ended by telling the council that there were certain programs that could help the town get other help with road issues, including Safe Routes for Schools, municipal arterials and cooperative paving funds. She gave the council information and application forms.

The council also heard a report from Tim Karpoff, who is working with the engineering team producing an integrated water and wastewater master plan for the county. It will attempt to project water needs and resources over the course of the next 40 years.

Karpoff said a key will be "regional collaborative efforts (to) increase the potential for obtaining funding." The rationale behind it is for making specific capital improvement project requests. Money for the plan was obtained from the legislature by State Sen. Michael Sanchez, D-Valencia County, he said.

Some reports — such as that from the Mid Region Council of Governments — estimate that the population of Valencia County will go up to 150,000 by 2040, but Karpoff said that other projections based on the rate of population growth over the course of the last century find that the number of people living in the county might be anywhere from 109,000 to 130,000 by that time.

Census related projections show that the county's present population is about 73,000.

Where is the growth being projected? Karpoff said it appears it will come in the Los Lunas area west of the freeway; in Meadow Lake and El Cerro Mission; somewhat in Rio Communities; and in Rancho Cielo between Los Lunas and Belen west of I-25.

"Most growth is going to happen on the mesa rather than in the valley," he said.

Those rates of increase could mean that the county would see between a 60 and 130 percent increase in need for water by 2040.

Now, the county uses 10,000 acre feet of water per year for its residents; by 2040, it could require 16,000 to 24,000, he said. He said that currently 28 water systems exist in the county, including one in Bosque Gardens, a neighborhood in Peralta.

Current groundwater pumping rates are not significantly affecting the aquifer, he said.

"Agriculture is important to the sustainability of the aquifer; half to three-quarters of the estimated recharge is from irrigation works along the inner Rio Grande Valley," he said. "Towns and farms are tied together at the hip. We need the recharge (from agriculture), otherwise the river is going to flow right past."

Among the ideas being explored by the plan are clustered septic systems, satellite wastewater plants in neighborhoods, expanded municipal systems, constructed wetlands, regionalized treatment facilities, regionalized supply wells, reuse of reclaimed water, desalination and conservation.

Input is being taken from the public, and a citizens advisory board has been established, with Town Councilor Joseph Romero representing Peralta.

Olguin asked if the county's water is being tested for nitrates and other environmental factors.

"We're all concerned about nitrates," Karpoff said. "Water in the county has not exceeded EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) safety limits ... but as more people come in, this could become a problem. So far, so good, but with a 40-year time period, we've got to make sure our children and grandchildren will have the same quality water."

He offered his e-mail address, timkarpoff@msn.com, and referred citizens who want more information to the Web site, www.valenciawaterplan.org.

The council also heard from Harriett Taylor of Keep Bosque Farms Beautiful that a clean-up day will be held on April 26, with recycling bins for cardboard, newspapers and aluminum cans set up behind the Los Lunas police station. It will be held in conjunction with the Village of Los Lunas and the county. "White goods," such as refrigerators, will also be accepted for recycling along with old computers.

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