[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6595229,"mediaKeyId","3040068-5701d9f3f8307b040383fc58df37fb54","parentId",3040068,"title","County seeks NMFA loan for Denver Steels waterline replacements; board endorses ordinance authorizing $2.7 million package","audioSeconds",348,"startMs",9265000,"endMs",9613000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3040068-5701d9f3f8307b040383fc58df37fb54&start=9265&end=9613","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3040068-5701d9f3f8307b040383fc58df37fb54/thumbnail_9265000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6595229/New-Mexico/County-seeks-NMFA-loan-for-Denver-Steels-waterline-replacements-board-endorses-ordinance-authorizing-27-million-package","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6595229-de6907ac977f10c25592997be70da774/orig.mp4?Expires=1770452820&Signature=nyqd5mcd0kqt8zJtjzrxCweF6YlOy-TqknQEBRywOyQnsr4PKDjhLWJtFfMeb9fkfyNXyrGZD3O3imaUiP42Ma-zsHtclMMbuVMMuGQbCXDcg8qxjv8hq5TximAlxZbOCFvpNBbpoxWt-qmUFvyKHgomf6sRL-de0w5MPIsVoQ~VqUyGfDXMEOyOLSPcXLuARQP5IQeJSLKLI3s2CEJZBUxlYO5Y3NAJA-ESBiYPoeErWMWYq9dD-HWUXuKBVV41c~BeGVcI9KEgVk4yh7cL0Ca5WCFWOzT7xHkV6sKuqYcZMX2wtERe2S1~4-UnAvTWEDKv0PCiyxTWzF-M02gRTw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Los Alamos County","date","2025-04-16T00:00:00Z","article","The Board of Public Utilities unanimously recommended on April 16 that County Council adopt Ordinance 7-41 to authorize a loan and subsidy agreement with the New Mexico Finance Authority (NMFA) to finance phases 2 and 3 of waterline replacements in the Denver Steels neighborhood.

Philo Shelton, utilities manager, told the board the county is coordinating replacement of deteriorating cast-iron distribution lines and steel services in neighborhoods where public-works paving is also scheduled. “These lines are 1950s vintage cast iron and they have some steel service lines,” Shelton said. He explained that compacting roadwork can aggravate old lines and that pairing full waterline replacement with public-works street work reduces repeated disruptions.

The project award totals $2,727,000; $625,000 is a grant and $2,102,000 would be financed over 20 years at a 0.26% interest rate. Shelton said the NMFA loan terms remain favorable and that the county's public-works schedule aligns the bids and closings to allow construction to begin in summer with most work completed before winter weather.

Board members asked about schedule risk; Shelton said the timing is aggressive but achievable and that final loan closing and bid awards are being aligned with the county's fiscal year schedule. The board then voted to recommend the ordinance to council for introduction and adoption.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Los Alamos County - Board of Public Utilities on 2025-04-16 5:30 PM - Apr 16, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Board of Public Utilities voted 5–0 to recommend Ordinance 7-41 authorizing a loan and subsidy agreement with the New Mexico Finance Authority to fund phases 2 and 3 of the Denver Steels waterline replacement project: a $2.727 million award with $625,000 as a grant and $2.102 million financed at 0.26% over 20 years.","taxTitle","Los Alamos, New Mexico","taxId",51137,"location","New Mexico","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6595234,"Board recommends sewer-rate ordinance with two years of planned increases, approves forward to council",424,8729000,9153000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3040068-5701d9f3f8307b040383fc58df37fb54&start=8729&end=9153","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3040068-5701d9f3f8307b040383fc58df37fb54/thumbnail_8729000.jpg","/articles/6595234/New-Mexico/Board-recommends-sewer-rate-ordinance-with-two-years-of-planned-increases-approves-forward-to-council","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6595234-c14ddddf5be119034ab9ce3e443382dc/orig.mp4?Expires=1770452820&Signature=OZ15RL9z8llf1EP48j5di7~sMjtIAvkt1i9QYyFwRF6Y2EA4AWgwyokChAG7Ro9L1JgiXp2UPKoDb7sHyTZrFWZczVnctFWNsSkyvQ8BL1JS0om7bKlgXpKBIeKpah-T8aA5dgNd3gwEH-H7w6TsEg~cQx2HGXNziSEyup9vVu-Kh6zpyZSiifDJa1FiUo0mwQY85K3P6ycHZPQz0hIGsBWTm7VVmGL7y63m1XPuqRS9Y92J8uIpCfdH9iN1uekBpxMEPVyywrAOw-BoHzIkIHn9XrmYlh9q6PHo6~PwHtQZzDA-THSNIMEnmPLoUS99adaMl0jqGx3JCTV01SB7WA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Board of Public Utilities unanimously recommended that County Council consider an amended sewer-rate ordinance on April 16 that replaces a previously approved 2% increase with a one-time 7% increase effective Oct. 1, 2025, and an additional 7% in fiscal year 2027.

Kathy (department staff) told the board that the 7% increases had already been included in the FY 2026 budget the board adopted at the prior meeting and that the request before the board was to recommend the ordinance to council to effect the scheduled changes rather than stack increases.

Board members asked whether commercial customers billed on water usage would see corresponding changes; staff confirmed the increases apply across customer classes. No public commenters addressed the sewer ordinance during the hearing. The board approved the recommendation by roll call: Member Hollingsworth — Yes; Member Nockley — Yes; Member Stromberg — Yes; Member Heffner — Yes; Member Gibson — Yes. The recommendation will be forwarded to County Council for introduction and adoption.","The Board of Public Utilities voted unanimously to recommend an amended sewer-rate ordinance that replaces a previously approved 2% increase with a 7% increase effective Oct. 1, 2025, and another 7% for FY 2027.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6595238,"Board recommends electric rate increases, approves time-of-use and residential demand plan to reach revenue neutrality",5284,3416000,8700000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3040068-5701d9f3f8307b040383fc58df37fb54&start=3416&end=8700","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3040068-5701d9f3f8307b040383fc58df37fb54/thumbnail_3416000.jpg","/articles/6595238/New-Mexico/Board-recommends-electric-rate-increases-approves-time-of-use-and-residential-demand-plan-to-reach-revenue-neutrality","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6595238-d7339f81ba567ddb7c90435061a38a09/orig.mp4?Expires=1770452820&Signature=NkGeOai66pdLknS9ojaTQRBcgKhZh3OSG3W8D6EIPff82aCvVUeSTA1ZMZM3uyAiP7jiUD10CqxeqksI51UI-b-r94kgi9AlcjhpI~BShMKGCJXZnqcYck4esf8~79RoI4FM7KRLaQtJYHiMYgKA4ngT8QINzPgridXtoVTMjNJ4K2PRrwJySFOEaZymYLgRKCj7BtSnZBVimOxj1peoCHXp0ggdZhaAUGSz~KgaVY9u87jEXwfFI1eUz4VOwZX4taQQocO8vDTFlg3fd63X2UYxdzbCeI1T8qhx2QL0Owyzq3~DcavM1EZFfQzMfozQAIx3uYPbaQ0CJEAKAnYlKw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Board of Public Utilities voted 3–2 on April 16 to recommend County Ordinance 2,365 to the County Council. The ordinance would implement a 9% electric rate increase effective July 1, 2025, and an 8% increase effective July 1, 2026, and would authorize time-of-use (TOU) residential rates and a residential demand charge to be implemented no sooner than July 1, 2026.

“Kathy, this will be the PDF that I sent earlier, the updated one,” said Karen Kendall, the county’s utility finance manager, introducing the ordinance and the two implementation paths the board could endorse. Kendall and staff emphasized that the proposed TOU and residential demand design is revenue neutral: the switch is intended to shift when energy is used, not to increase total revenue.

The ordinance would also increase the fixed monthly residential service charge from the current $12.60 to $17.60 in FY 2026 and to $22.50 in July 2026. Staff and external consultants presented comparative data showing Los Alamos’ proposed charges would remain within regional and national public-power ranges.

Supporters argued the TOU and demand elements address both market and distribution pressures. Karen Kendall told the board the county is seeing rising capital and equipment costs for electric distribution — in some cases several hundred percent higher for certain transformers and related equipment — and that prior rate freezes left reserves low. Staff cited UAMPS and APPA analyses showing public-power utilities can use TOU and demand tools to reduce peak stress on infrastructure and to make usage patterns more transparent to customers.

Several presenters and board members urged an education period before TOU begins. Kendall said the FY 2026 budget includes $250,000 to update billing software and coordinate with meter readers to implement TOU and demand. About 40 customers have previously opted out of remote meter-reading functionality; the ordinance provides an opt-out class because some meters cannot currently provide hourly data. Customers in that opt-out class would be billed at an on-peak rate rather than a TOU/demand-coupled bill.

Board debate was divided. Chair Gibson praised staff for clarifying the ordinance text and keeping the structural changes administratively clean. He also expressed caution about immediately imposing TOU: “I think it is premature,” Gibson said, arguing TOU should go into effect when the county’s resource mix — particularly planned local solar-plus-storage (Foxtail Flats) — is better defined and operating. Gibson and Member Stromberg voted against recommending the ordinance.

Members Hollingsworth, Nockley and Heffner voted to recommend the ordinance. Member Nockley argued that steady, modest rate increases generally are preferable to large, delayed increases and that the proposed service-charge changes move fixed costs onto a stable base.

Public commenters asked for clarity on how demand charges will appear on bills and how the county will use revenues from increased fixed charges to maintain distribution and customer-assistance programs. One public commenter asked whether RV-park power and EV-charging stations are billed separately; county staff explained the county’s RV park and municipal chargers are billed through the county’s utility administration and, for public chargers, customers pay via the charger account service.

The board approved the recommendation by roll call: Member Hollingsworth — Yes; Member Nockley — Yes; Member Stromberg — No; Member Heffner — Yes; Member Gibson — No. The ordinance will move to County Council for introduction on May 6 and a council public hearing on June 10 if council schedules as staff indicated.","The Los Alamos Board of Public Utilities voted 3–2 to recommend Ordinance 2,365 to county council, approving scheduled rate increases and a plan to add time-of-use pricing and a residential demand charge that staff say is revenue-neutral and intended to shift load and stabilize distribution costs.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6595243,"State officials outline monitoring and multi-year cleanup steps for Los Alamos chromium plume",3010,426000,3436000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3040068-5701d9f3f8307b040383fc58df37fb54&start=426&end=3436","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3040068-5701d9f3f8307b040383fc58df37fb54/thumbnail_426000.jpg","/articles/6595243/New-Mexico/State-officials-outline-monitoring-and-multi-year-cleanup-steps-for-Los-Alamos-chromium-plume","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6595243-b6e48e29f4f8235c25909c9ace9cb4e7/orig.mp4?Expires=1770452820&Signature=YIC-I9pvz5h2K~bK638wog0fmBWTpcz22YMSGENwZ9dp9LKjVIlGa0H73MlrlDRS7~7J2qnHLIGT1KonK05wSGrKtT0MWdp~u032mYrW54VFP8D2lHhzvmOEDSkfKjp59zgD58aMf~xpRZW5KDqBxTHtGSNkwuvGMLAzssaIfQktoL-iwiGkkaxUOyzY8nr2WrWy5Q~azmPt1XgiyGP2DSGmSxaNUF6kpXWgfSQEKwwreeKT4-MLMst0kROP8NMSPS58I-MOujijJ3dakDOibwMaALqrFju-j7NNSPf9-CFK9hqgnCYHIx16nMDUefTZ3XBScdg3Gmq-r7iqfMgSNQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Michael Peterson, a hydrogeologist with the New Mexico Environment Department's Hazardous Waste Bureau, told the Los Alamos County Board of Public Utilities on April 16 that state and federal agencies continue to characterize and treat a chromium plume linked to historic releases from the T A-3 power plant at the laboratory.

“To date, there was about an estimated 60,000 pounds of potassium dichromate that went down the canyon. To date, the interim measures have removed about 2,000 pounds of that,” Peterson said, describing the gap between total released and current removals.

The presentation summarized recent technical work and the short- and medium-term plan. NMED and Department of Energy (DOE) contractors operate an “interim measures” system — a network of extraction wells that pump contaminated groundwater to a treatment plant, then reinject treated water through injection wells placed downgradient. The state said the system was partially restarted on Sept. 30, 2024, after an independent technical review (IRT) recommended turning some extraction wells back on to limit plume migration while additional data are collected.

NMED identified key near-term priorities: drilling additional monitoring wells to fill data gaps, redrilling an important but currently unusable monitoring well (R-73), installing a deeper well in the plume centroid (R-77) to better characterize deeper formations, and advancing the monitoring well Simmer 3 on Pueblo de San Ildefonso lands to determine whether contamination has reached Pueblo groundwater.

State staff explained why more wells are necessary. The green dashed line on the maps shown to the board marks areas where concentrations exceed 50 parts per billion (ppb) in the upper 50 feet of the aquifer; a blue dashed line indicates zones exceeding 50 ppb at deeper intervals. Peterson said that the plume is now appearing deeper than originally expected and that understanding vertical as well as lateral extent is essential before a final remedy can be designed.

Caitlin Martinez of NMED's Hazardous Waste Bureau added that the interim measures are “a temporary solution” designed to slow or contain the plume while the technical record is expanded so a final remedy can be designed and implemented more quickly. “We anticipate we need at least these data gap wells,” Martinez said, and from the state’s current view “we have at least, you know, five years of work before we can consider the concept of a final remedy.”

Peterson discussed options for where to inject treated water. Options examined by the IRT include constructing a deep DOE-owned injection well that could secure returned-flow credit under local water-right arrangements, repurposing an existing well (PM-3) as a high-capacity injection location, surface-water disposal, land-application spreading basins, vadose-zone injection, and spreading basins. State staff said some surface options would likely not qualify for returned-flow credit under current water-right rules.

The NMED presentation also covered a major procedural change: on Sept. 24 the agency and DOE updated the Compliance Order on Consent that governs corrective-action work at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The revised order adds a faster dispute-resolution pathway for technical disagreements: parties must first attempt resolution at technical and managerial levels, and if unsuccessful, jointly select an independent expert or panel whose decision will be binding. Peterson said that the IRT process used earlier is the model for this new mechanism.

On modeling, the IRT recommended moving from FEHM (a DOE-developed finite-element heat-and-mass-transfer code) to MODFLOW, the more commonly used groundwater modeling code. Peterson said MODFLOW will allow independent state reviewers, public stakeholders and outside experts to run and test the model more readily, and that expanded parameterization is needed — for example, to reflect hydraulic conductivity and anisotropy across heterogenous units such as cobble/conglomerate layers near the Puye Formation.

Board members asked how progress will be judged. Martinez said the interim measures are expected to hold the plume in place while information is collected; the state’s minimum need for a final remedy design includes defined source terms and a reliable estimate of the contaminated water volume. The state expects multi-year characterization work before a final remedy decision and cautioned that additional monitoring wells may be required if the five planned wells do not close remaining data gaps.

Peterson and Martinez emphasized the proximity of the plume to Pueblo de San Ildefonso land and said state and federal agencies will follow the Pueblo’s preference for water quality: the Pueblo has said it wants water “as close to background as possible” (about 7.5 ppb), rather than the state's 50 ppb standard. Martinez said if contamination is detected on sovereign Pueblo lands above background, the Pueblo will likely become a required participant in remediation planning.

The presentation concluded with technical annexes and a list of the highest-priority monitoring wells: Simmer 3 (on Pueblo lands), R-79 and R-80 (to investigate an unexpected concentration spike near R-45), the R-73 redrill, and the R-77 deeper centroid well. NMED also emphasized that model updates, vadose-zone characterization and better parameterization of aquifer properties are prerequisites to a final remedy.

Board members thanked NMED staff and asked no action on the matter was required at the meeting; the presentation served as an update to a continuing technical and regulatory effort.","New Mexico Environment Department hydrogeologists updated the Los Alamos Board of Public Utilities on the chromium plume found in the regional aquifer, described interim pump-and-treat operations, priorities for new monitoring wells, and a revised dispute-resolution process in an updated compliance order on consent.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

County seeks NMFA loan for Denver Steels waterline replacements; board endorses ordinance authorizing $2.7 million package

Board recommends sewer-rate ordinance with two years of planned increases, approves forward to council

Board recommends electric rate increases, approves time-of-use and residential demand plan to reach revenue neutrality

State officials outline monitoring and multi-year cleanup steps for Los Alamos chromium plume