Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Municipal Water Conservation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
State pilots satellite leak detection, advancing reuse rules as part of municipal conservation push
Summary
NMED described a satellite‑based leak detection pilot with high verification rates in small towns and said reuse rulemaking for potable and industrial reuse is moving forward; officials urged communities to pair detection with financing for repairs.
New Mexico’s effort to reduce water loss in municipal systems now includes a satellite‑imaging leak‑detection program that state officials said has identified leaks in several communities and is significantly cheaper and faster than conventional field surveys.
John Roderick, Deputy Cabinet Secretary for Administration at the New Mexico Environment Department, said satellite analysis was piloted in Truth or Consequences and Cloudcroft; in both cases the state’s field crews verified identified locations and found a high success rate for actual leaks. “We put this to the test in both T or C and Cloudcroft … and we've got about a 90 percent success rate,” Roderick said. He added that fixing identified leaks in Cloudcroft will save “in the neighborhood of 150,000,000 gallons of finished water.”
Why it matters: The state said leak identification is often a precondition for funding larger water projects — “it doesn't do a lot of good if we can't keep the water in the pipes,” Roderick said. The satellite approach is being made available to additional communities, including Las Vegas and other Northern New Mexico towns.
Reuse and financing Officials also discussed reuse rulemaking, led by NMED, that aims to expand reclaimed wastewater options for nonpotable and potable (indirect/direct) reuse and industrial uses. Roderick said the state has had reuse practices for 15–17 years and will pursue additional rule phases this year to address potable/indirect potable guidance and produced water petitions under review at the Water Quality Control Commission.
On financing, Roderick noted the City of Santa Fe closed a $100 million Clean Water State Revolving Fund loan to rebuild its wastewater treatment system; he said the state’s rural infrastructure program is another source of smaller, agile funding to help communities begin stalled projects.
Discussion vs. decisions - Discussion: Officials outlined pilot results, reuse regulation phases and financing options. Lawmakers pushed for baseline metrics and asked about community education and program timelines. - Direction: Agencies said they will expand the satellite‑detection program to interested communities and continue reuse rulemaking in phases. - Formal actions: No committee votes were taken; the City of Santa Fe loan was a local financing transaction described during the briefing.
Ending Agencies encouraged municipalities to combine detection technologies with accessible financing and community education to secure water supplies more cheaply and quickly than relying solely on new source development.
