Buckman Diversion Difficulties

Officials have discovered structural problems with a massive public project that delivers water to Santa Fe from the Rio Grande.

Right now, though, the board that oversees the Buckman Direct Diversion has more questions than answers. What they know, according to city Councilor Joseph Maestas, the board chairman, is that the diversion is pulling too much sediment into the BDD treatment plant along with water from the river.

A diver has already tried to determine the extent of the problem, but since the water is so murky, next month contractors are expected to construct a temporary dam to dry the area around the diversion structure. On Feb. 5, the board authorized about $500,000 in reserves for what Maestas called "a forensic assessment" of the issue.

While extra sediment could cause long-term problems for the infrastructure, Maestas says officials seem to have identified it in time for correction. Even if the diversion is taken offline for a period of time this spring, it shouldn't cause disruption in water service, he says.

"We have such a redundant portfolio of water supply, there is no need for folks to panic about this," he tells SFR.

The diversion project, which cost more than $215 million to build, is entering its fifth year in operation and is jointly owned by the city and county governments in Santa Fe and a private subdivison called Las Campanas.

Recent budget estimates say operations will cost about $6.8 million during the next fiscal year. But that amount doesn't include what it might cost to repair the problem and come up with a potential engineering solution.

Charles Vokes, who took the reins at the BDD as director in December, says there's no firm date for the dam yet.

"We've got a pretty tight timeline here," he tells SFR late Tuesday. "We need to get in there and see what is going on and get [it] corrected and hopefully get out before the spring runoff comes."

Santa Fe Reporter