City committee backs application to New Mexico Water Trust Board for 36‑inch transmission-line replacement

City utility staff asked the Infrastructure Committee on July 21 to recommend the City Council support an application to the New Mexico Water Trust Board for a proposed large‑diameter waterline replacement.

Utility staff said the proposed project is a priority in the city's water master plan: replacement of a 36‑inch transmission line on Montana from Nineteenth Street to Eighth Street. The department proposed applying to the Water Trust Board for up to $10,000,000 to fund the replacement. "This line has had multiple leaks in the past few years and has also been identified on the current water master plan as a priority replacement project," the presenter said.

Staff told the committee that Water Trust Board awards typically require a local match and that the board's documentation sets a 10 percent minimum match, but the exact match rate and award terms would be identified only if and when the project is selected. Committee members and staff discussed timing and the city's practice of applying repeatedly to the water trust pool; the presenter and councilors said applying annually is a recommended part of the city's strategy for replacing critical subsurface infrastructure.

A motion to recommend the draft resolution supporting the application was made and the committee forwarded the resolution to the city attorney's office for review and to the consent agenda; committee members indicated the item will also go to finance as needed if matching funds are required. No grant award was made at the meeting; the committee only approved forwarding the application resolution for review and inclusion on the consent agenda.