Water & Wastewater

Many of the documents linked to from this site were obtained from the Town of Edgewood, but this collection cannot be considered official, and it is provided for information purposes only. If you need official information be sure to contact the town directly. Please read and heed the following disclaimer which appeared at the Town of Edgewood's original website: 

DOCUMENTS
Please be advised that these documents are subject to change and may not be complete and up to date.  Staff is available Monday thru Friday to assist you with your applications and questions.  Please call 505-286-4518

Any person who intends to take action based upon the information found at or linked to from this site assumes sole responsibility for obtaining the most up to date pertinent information through official channels by means of the process described in the Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA) compliance guide. 

Relevant dates are taken from my collection of Edgewood Council Minutes dating from 1999-2013. For information on Council actions from 2014 to the present, meeting minutes and agendas are available as part of meeting packets listed by year in the Agenda Center of the Town of Edgewood official website.

Please note that links to minutes audio and other resources from 2014 to the present are no longer valid following migration of files to the town's present website.  Copies of the minutes and audios are available on the new council minutes/audio page. Copies of current ordinances can be found there as well. 

When reviewing this information, it is important to keep two things in mind. First, a great deal of this work would have been done in the background by staff working on planning and development as well as finance and administration. The information was made available in the form of meeting packets, handouts, and formal presentations by various persons. The written minutes reflect only brief summaries of the discussions about that information. Second, the only person who might speak in detail and with authority about actions taken through August, 2012 is former Planning Director and Town Administrator, Karen Mahalick. After her departure from the town in 2012, her successor put many of the supporting documents into storage. The current town staff has located and retrieved some, but not all, of this information. Given these constraints, it is not possible at this time to reconstruct a substantive and authoritative narrative of the wastewater plant history.

1999 11 03  Mayor Larry Keaty and Councilors discuss the possibility of purchasing Edgewood Water Company in conjunction with building a wastewater plant after hearing objections to the sale of Edgewood Water Company. The Governing Body agrees by consensus to seek more information on the suggestions offered during the meeting for possible future action. [ETA: The council voted 2/2 on the question of intervening before the PRC to stop the sale; with Mayor Keaty voting against.]

1999 11 22  Cost estimate of building a wastewater plant is delivered to governing body; project is placed on the ICIP at #7.

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2000 02 02  Update on progress; no details given.

2000 04 19  Design presented with 8 (later increased to 13) lift stations.

2000 05 10  History and description of the proposed design.

2000 05 17  Council votes 3-1 to build a wastewater plant to serve the commercial corridor along Rt. 66 and I-40.

2000 10 04  PER presented to governing body showing line locations and service area.
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2001 02 20  Council votes to table the plan indefinitely in order to seek partnerships for funding.

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2002 04 15  Significant design changes and funding options proposed following the municipal election in March, 2002.

2002 06 19  A report is presented to the Governing Body that NMED has informed the Town that the concept approved by the Governing Body in 2000 is not feasible and will probably not be approved by NMED.

2002 08 21  In response to NMED input and community input, Council votes to look at other options.

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2003 02 19  Discussion about coordinating wastewater line placement with the NM 344 project.

2003 03 19  Report on alignment problems with line placement within the NM 344 project area.

2003 04 16  Report to Governing Body that the work is proceeding on time.

2003 06 23  Staff instructed to place wastewater plant funding at the head of the ICIP list.

2003 08 06  Draft PER and questions submitted by Councilor Stearley are discussed; no action taken.

2003 11 05  Council votes to accept the PER submitted by ASCG, Inc. with corrections suggested during the report.

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2004 01 21  Slideshow presented to the Council of the Bio-membrane option after town officials toured a similar plant in Arizona.

2004 04 12  Council votes to confirm the service area as primarily serving the Rt. 66/I-40 corridor with a short run north on NM 344. Service extending to Section 16 was excluded from consideration due to costs. However, because the plan at that time envisioned building the plant near the intersection of NM 344 and I-40, the extension of service to Section 16 and Hillcrest Master Plan was contemplated once the Rt. 66/I-40 corridor had service available.

2004 06 02  Council authorizes a letter requesting funding from Santa Fe County for the wastewater plant.

2004 10 04   ICIP request for funding $3.92M listed first.

2004 10 06   Mayor Stearley reports to the Governing Body that the PER identifies two locations for the plant. The first option would be on Cactus near Park Street. The second location would be at the east end of Park Street on the 10 acres of land owned by Santa Fe County. He had contacted the County to inquire about the status of that parcel. After residents in the Cactus Road/Park Road area present a petition asking that the wastewater plant be located elsewhere, the Council schedules another hearing on the matter.

2004 11 03  A report comparing costs associated with the various proposed plant locations is presented to the Town Council by Mayor Robert Stearley.

2004 11 22  After encountering significant opposition to the location in the Cactus/Park Road area, Section 30 is proposed as an alternative.

2004 12 01  Councilor Chuck Ring offers a motion to change the location to Section 30. His motion is approved. This action effectively ends the possibility of serving Section 16 or Hillcrest Master Plan with the proposed wastewater plant due to the costs involved of running lines from that location.

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2005 06 01  Council discusses and agrees to a moratorium on wastewater expenditures pending review by the town's financial adviser of an opportunity to partner with Santa Fe County after other entities decline to participate.

2005 06 06  Council discusses and rejects offers of private entities expressing interest in obtaining whole or partial ownership of  the system.

2005 11 21  The project engineer presents information on the plan design along with a projected timeline for completion.

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2006 03 15  The Governing Body conducts a design review and votes to accept the sewer design to date and the equipment bid package as presented. The bid package will go to NMED for review before the Town advertises for proposals. 

2006 04 19  The Governing Body hears a report on the environmental assessment conducted during a site visit earlier in the week.  The Town, Souder-Miller and Aqua -Tech are addressing concerns expressed by NMEID about the bid package for purchase of equipment.

2006 05 10  The Council votes to authorize the town to send a letter to the NM Water Trust Board requesting $550,000.00 for the wastewater treatment facility.

2006 05 24  Souder-Miller representatives explain the design progress on the three principal phases of the project: the collection system, treatment system and disposal system. They estimate 75% completion within the firsts two weeks of June. The Governing Body is informed that the estimates do not include engineering fees which will need to be worked into the 2006-7 FY budget.

2006 06 07  Discussion of the RFP submittals for the Membrane Equipment Treatment Plant as well as the funds available during the next FY budget.

2006 06 21  Council votes to approve a letter to Santa Fe County requesting assistance with funding for the wastewater plant.

2006 07 19  Souder-Miller representative conducts a 75% design review for the facility.

2006 08 16  As a followup to the letter to be sent to Santa Fe County, Mayor Stearley requests a meeting with the Santa Fe County Manager, Commissioner Michael Anaya and Councilor Ring to discuss the issue.

2006 10 18  A 95% Wastewater treatment and collection system report is presented to the Governing Body. It is noted that the total project cost has increased approximately 40% in the two years since the PER estimates were delivered in 2004. The project will require a Notice to Proceed before the end of 2006.

2006 11 01 The council votes to send the Waste Water Treatment Plant Construction ordinance forward for public hearing. The Council votes to approve the agreement between the Town and Wal-Mart to construct wastewater lines on NM 344.

2006 12 06 Karen Mahalick reports to Governing Body on the pre-bid meeting held earlier in the day. Bid opening set for December 20, 2006. [Also at the meeting; [Former] Councilor Ellen Wymer presents a petition bearing 200+ signatures asking that the town to continue its intervention in the rate hike request from NMAW currently before the PRC. The council votes unanimously to continue.]

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2007 01 03 Wastewater Treatment Plant Construction Ordinance 2007-01. Council approves and Mayor Howard Calkins signs the ordinance. Council also reviews and approves proposal for purchasing computers for the wastewater plant. Bid report on construction contract; engineer recommends a re-bid due to proposals being over 10% above original estimate. 

2007 01 17 Bid report on the construction contract for the wastewater plant and review of Wal-Mart's collection system design.

2007 02 21 Discussion about obtaining a discharge permit and a well for the site. There was futher discussion and approval of additional funds needed for the project.

2007 04 18 Mayor Calkins informs the Council that the road to the plant has been graveled and concrete will be poured soon.

2007 05 16 Authorization requested for $80,000 for installation of electricity at the wastewater plant.

2007 10 03 Change Order Approval to furnish and install a belt press at the wastewater plant is requested and approved.

                                                          

2007 10 17 Presentation to the Governing Body concerning Walmart's wastewater treatment plant.

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2008 01 09 Council approves a request from the Liberty Square developer for the Town to assume maintenance and operation of a proposed lift station.

2008 03 19 Council votes to accept the agreement for collection line easements and Agreements with the Bassett Trust.

2008 04 02 Report to Governing Body on status of the NMED discharge permit; schedule for the lagoon, the Clean Water Loan, and the final steps for the collection lines.

2008 06 04 Mayor Stearley reports on negotiations with the developer of a proposed subdivision east of Wal-Mart to connect to the sewer. He also presents the status of discussions about re-purposing the package plant at Wal-Mart.

2008 06 18 Report to Governing Body that the discharge perit has been awarded which allows the town to go forward with the bid based on EPA Grant, the disposal pond, and the collection line loan.

2008 08 20 Council approves the priority list for the ICIP with request for wastewater funding listed first.

2008 10 01 Report to the Governing Body that 11 bids were received for the collection lines and six for the disposal lines. NMED approved awarding bids to the low bidders. Both are covered in the budget. Council votes to approve the bid recommendations. Projected completion date given as end of June 2009.

2008 10 15 Report to the Governing Body that one bid was received for the wastewater disposal fabrication pump station. Council votes to approve the bid.

2008 11 19 Report to Governing Body on problems with a contractor and requesting a change order removing that contractor. Council approves the change order.

2008 12 17 Request to Council to approve awarding the bid for wastewater disposal system equipment. Council votes to approve.

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2009 04 15 Council approves a change order for the wastewater disposal system in the amount of $15,086 plus tax. Minutes do not reflect any further details.

2009 05 06 Consideration of acceptance of sewer system facilities in the form of a lift station to the east of Smith's Grocery. Liberty Development proposes to build the station and then turn it over to the town.

2009 05 20 Council authorizes advertising for bids for wastewater collection lines subject to receipt of an approval letter from NMED.

2009 06 03 Report to Governing Body concerning a rate study for the wastewater system which is described as the first step in crafting an ordinance for the wastewater plant. The results of the bid opening to be presented at the first July Council meeting. Future agenda item: have Council approve qualifications for the operator position.

2009 07 01 Report to the Governing Body on proposed rates to be charged to users of the system. Mayor Stearley asks that the engineers provide support for the amount suggested regarding connection fees.

2009 07 15 Report to Governing body on status of the collection line contract.

2009 08 19 Mr. Ron Bohannon discusses his initial impressions of the sewer rate study which he believes is reasonable and promises to submit written comments to the Council for its review.

2009 10 07 Mayor Robert Stearley requests approval for the Town to intervene in the the NMAW water rate case before the PRC. Council unanimously approves a motion to direct David Henderson to do so. [Note: NMAW did, in fact, buy the Edgewood Water Company as referred to in the 11/03/1999 council minutes. NMAW has since sold its assets to EPCOR, a company owned by the City of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Today, EPCOR's Edgewood, NM assets include those purchased from NMAW plus those of Thunder Mountain which it acquired in 2013.]

2009 11 04 Report to Governing Body on notification to advertise an RFQ for plant operations as well as the status on an energy grant for the wastewater plant. There was also an update on the status of the NMAW rate case before the PRC. There was also an update on the storm drain collapse on NM 344.

2009 12 02 Report to Governing Body on the status of the wastewater project, including a request for approval of a rate and connection fee schedule. Councilor Simmons expresses desire that future increases be made gradually and in small increments. Councilor Hill states that the wastewater plant is a cost to the town and that the Town should consider imposing a wastewater tax if the plant continues to operate at a loss. The Council unanimously approves the proposed schedule.

2009 12 16 Report to Governing Body on award of bid for the wastewater plant operator.

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2010 01 06 Report to governing body on various items such as loans, permits, hiring of an operator, and an information letter to be sent to businesses. A future agenda item to discuss the implementation of a wastewater ordinance is announced with mention of the fact that the question of mandatory vs. optional connection to the system is not yet determined. 

2010 03 03 Town Council approves and Mayor Robert Stearley signs Wastewater Connection Ordinance 2010-01 reflecting town policy which encourages but does not mandate connection to the system.

2010 06 02 Public hearing to revise the Wastewater Ordinance; however lack of consensus on a proposed mandatory connection clause results in that proposed change not being adopted. The Governing Body agrees to deal with the issue at a future date.

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2011 02 16 Report to Governing Body on a line item budget review in which it is noted that the wastewater system budget will require additional funds.

2011 04 06 Follow-up budget report on need for additional funds for the wastewater plant. Included in the report is a description of an incident in which an unexpected influx of 50,000 gallons overwhelmed the plant during the previous weekend.

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2012 01 18 Council approves a one year extension of the contract for the wastewater system operator with the understanding that bids would be advertised later in the year for next year's contract.

2012 04 04 Report to Governing body on problems with mechanical and electrical systems as well as high levels of hydrogen sulfide gases. As of 2012, the town is subsidizing the plant in the amount of approximately $200,000 per year.

2012 05 02 Report to Governing body about the discovery that the contractor failed to install fans into the controllers and that refrigeration venting was not properly installed. Invoices will be submitted to suppliers/manufacturers for reimbursement.

2012 06 06 Report to Governing Body regarding the request of a Council member on the feasibility of covering some of the plant's operating costs by accepting “septage hauling”. The plan was not deemed feasible. In addition, costs for electricity to the plant have been reduced by re-positioning a thermostat. In the month of April, the wind turbine generated 88% of the total electrical costs for powering the facility.

2012 08 01 At the request of Councilor Sherry Abraham, the Governing Body discusses the possibility of implementing a franchise fee for local utilities. No action taken at that time but further inquiries will be undertaken.

2012 12 19 Bid for wastewater plant operation is awarded to Rocking V Water Services. One other bid had been received from EPCOR.

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2013 10 16 Report by Mayor Brad Hill on problems with a design flaw in the system (insufficient pre-treatment) as well as local water quality problems which require more frequent replacement of membrane cartridges than anticipated. At this time there is sufficient money in the budget to cover the expenses.

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2015 08 19 [During this time, the town was not posting approved minutes; Therefore, I am posting links to packets for subsequent meetings containing draft minutes for the date indicated.] After almost 8 months of continuances, the Council unanimously and with no discussion recorded in the minutes votes to approve a new Wastewater Ordinance 2015-03 which makes connection to the system mandatory for anyone in the service area if and when functioning service lines become available. [Residences which are more than 150 ft. from a collection line are exempted from the mandatory collection requirement.]  Meeting audio part 1; Meeting audio part 2

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2016 02 03  [During this time, the town was not posting approved minutes; Therefore, I am posting links to packets for subsequent meetings containing draft minutes for the date indicated.] Town Council approves an amended Wastewater Ordinance adding phasing for the new, higher rates which is signed by Mayor Brad Hill on February 17, 2016. The minutes record no expressions of concern regarding the mandatory connection requirement for residential properties. Meeting audio for February 3, 2016.

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Town of Edgewood Ordinance 2015-03 Amended June 19 2019 The ordinance was amended in order to clarify requirements for residential users and to expand the exemptions available.

2025, 06 24 With little in the way of substantive discussion other than to assure the public that the eminent domain language would not be invoked, the Town Commission voted unanimously to approve a Water Ordinance advertised as a means to secure Edgewood’s (or perhaps its principal water supplier’s) future.  

[Summary of relevant agenda items for 2007-2012; more direct links for 2013-18 will be added as I have time to work through old minutes. Most of the wastewater related items following the adoption of the town's first wastewater ordinance in March, 2010 are routine until the plant is declared to be in a state of crisis by Mayor Brad Hill.   In February, 2016 Hill signs an amended version of the 2015 ordinance adopted on August 19, 2015 which makes connection mandatory for everyone in the service area when functioning service lines become available Wastewater Ordinance 2015-03 amended February 17, 2016.  [Residences which are more than 150 ft. from a collection line are exempted from the mandatory collection requirement.]  The amendments to 2015-03 allowed for phasing in of rate increases.]