On April 30th, Santa Fe County, the Pueblo of Pojoaque, and the Española Basin Regional Planning Issues Forum invited the community to a public meeting.  The meeting was held to help residents of the Pojoaque Valley understand what the Pojoaque Wastewater Project is and also explain how Santa Fe County and the Pueblo of Pojoaque are collaborating on this project.

Regional wastewater planning activities that began in January, 1988 with the first meeting of the Espanola Valley and Pojoaque Valley Water and Wastewater Steering Committee, have led to the conceptualization of this Pojoaque Regional Wastewater Project, currently under design by the Pueblo of Pojoaque.  The current phase of the wastewater collection, treatment, and water reuse project, will serve the wastewater infrastructure needs of the Pueblo and the Pojoaque Valley School District and will be located on a remote portion of Pueblo land.

On September 16, 2005, a Memorandum of Agreement (MOU) between the County of Santa Fe and the Pueblo of Pojoaque regarding the Pojoaque Wastewater Treatment Project was signed. Since January 2005, the Project has been planned in phases.  Currently, an amendment to the MOU, dated August 28, 2007, establishes guidelines for the County and Pueblo to cooperate in the funding, procurement, planning, permitting, design, construction, development, improvement, operation, maintenance, and ownership of the Project.  Funding for the Project has been received from numerous sources, including: Pueblo of Pojoaque, Department of Interior, North Central New Mexico Economic Development District, New Mexico State Legislature, State Water Trust Board, and the County of Santa Fe.

“This project is a glimpse of the future - it demonstrates how local governments can collaborate to leverage public funds to complete regional projects to the benefit of the people and the environment of the Pojoaque Valley” said Harry Montoya, County Commissioner, District 1.

DOWNLOAD Pojoaque Valley Wastewater MOU »

DOWNLOAD 1ST AMENDMENT TO MOU POJOAQUE WASTEWATER.pdf

Pojoaque Water/Wastewater Plant

Capacity:
The first phase of the project entails the construction of a 0.5 million gallon a day (mgd) Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) type wastewater treatment plant.
 
Of the present capacity, 0.4 million gallons is reserved for the Pojoaque Pueblo. The remaining 0.1million gallons are for non-pueblo entities.
 
Current Use:
Presently the Pojoaque Valley Schools are or will be using approximately 25,000 gallons per day. That leaves the about 75,000 gallons per day for PojoaqueValley residents.
 
This means that approximately 400 residents will be able to connect when the first phase of the collection system portion of the proposed project is constructed.  The plant should be going on line by the end of February 2009. 
 
Conservation:
Plans are to utilize the effluent to irrigate public facilities such as athletic fields, golf courses, parks, community gardens, and/or landscaped areas where Class 1A effluent could be utilized.
 
Costs:
Construction cost is approximately $4.6 million of which Pojoaque Pueblo put up $2.1M, the Water Trust Board $1.0M, $0.5M came from capital outlay, and $1.0M from Santa Fe County GRT funds.
 
Presently Santa Fe County is planning to utilize the $1.07M grant from the State Legislature to do some additional plant improvements, conduct a Preliminary Engineering Report (PER) on the collection system feasibility and phases to construct, and to build the initial trunk wastewater collection system.

Pojoaque Wastewater Project: FAQS

This week, a public meeting was held to address questions and concerns regarding the Pojoaque Wastewater Project.  Below were the most Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) asked by residents at the meeting.

Q: How will Santa Fe County residents access a Pueblo-owned wastewater facility?
A: There are no individual residences currently using the system.  The Pojoaque wastewater facility is being designed to expand to accommodate individual residences. The first phase is being built to handle the wastewater needs of the largest producers, the Pojoaque Valley Schools and the Pojoaque Pueblo resort.

Large producers of wastewater should be connected to the system so their treated wastewater can be used as an alternative to ground water. It will eliminate contamination from wastewater absorbed into the ground, such as in the use of a conventional septic system. The schools and the new resort need the treated water and can use the treated water immediately.

Q: Will the fact that Pueblos are sovereign entities affect utility rates for non-Pueblo users?
A: These issues are being considered and will be dealt with in the next few months.  The current Memorandum of Understanding regarding the wastewater project is an example of an agreement that addresses these issues and sets a precedent for the current and future phases. This MOU is available above.

Future community meetings are being planned to receive public input.