Submitted by: Fred Hashimoto
The project is touted as simple and straight-forward, but significant questions exist. From a public health viewpoint, it has yet to be proven necessary. This $106 million project has many funding issues including personal costs that can exceed $20,000 per household and strict mandates for that. In addition, a mentioned $20 million low interest loan means that up to $100,000 of interest and $1 million in principle will need to be covered annually.
Groundwater protection is vitally important, but a possible Village-wide threat to that was not demonstrated in the recent Stantec Preliminary Engineering Report. Historically, bacterial contamination was documented at the Corrales Elementary School, the recreation center and the municipal complex, sites that can have more than 400 users over many consecutive hours. Monthly testing over the last six years has not shown contamination at these sites which have been connected to a wastewater pipe down Corrales Road.
Village population is unchanged over the last decade. Residential growth is more likely on the western portion where water tables are lower and less likely to become contaminated by septic systems.
If a sewer line passes in front of your residence, you will very likely be mandated–even if your water is clear and not contaminated–to hook-up; businesses and residents along Corrales Road were mandated to do so by Village ordinance ten years ago.
Upfront costs include up to $20,000 or so to hook up with installation of a large pump, electric connections, trenching and piping from your house to the Village wastewater line and a $500 Village hook-up fee. Also, you pay a $30/month maintenance charge. Furthermore, if your septic tank is faulty, you have to fix it; tanks will need pumping as usual.
The mandate holds as long as you live in the residence. You pay soon or pay later when you sell the house, which will cost more.
Stantec Engineering assumed that the hook-up rate would be 100%. However, residential hook-ups have been very slow to occur along the current wastewater system: in the Coroval-Priestley area, very few–if any–households have hooked-up since the wastewater pipe was in place a couple of years ago. With low number of hook-ups, revenue generation to pay for the system will be low and fresh water flushes might even be needed to prevent clogging of sluggish material. If only few households hook-up, why even have an expensive, extensive wastewater system?
Approximately 10% of Villagers are on Medicaid. These and others probably can’t afford to hook-up. So, who will pay for them? In 2014, Villagers rejected a $500,000 Bond issue, which would have lent some assistance. Villagers also rejected then a $1.5 million bond issue to extend the existing Corrales Road system.
With a sewer system, housing density will increase as NM Environmental Department’s rule of ¾ acre per conventional septic system will be less relevant and lot sizes can decrease; thus population numbers, restaurants and bars and traffic will increase. Our water table will drop further as the Village sends wastewater to ABQ instead of being replenished by wastewater percolating down.
Yes, protecting groundwater is very important; however, significant contamination has not been documented. A well-designed, Village-wide water study has not been done or even contemplated. If a wastewater pipe runs by your house and your water is clean and non-contaminated, are you prepared to pay $20,000 or so for up-front hook-up costs, maintenance fees and still have to pump your tank? Will your neighbors hook-up too? What about those who can’t afford to?
Many questions exist and need to be discussed–they haven’t been–out in the open before Village Hall willfully plunges ahead with the $106 million wastewater project.