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Eastern New Mexico Water Utility Authority: major pipelines, treatment pilot and restoration efforts are on schedule for 2031
Summary
Administrator Orlando Ortega updated the committee on construction progress for Finished Water 1, Raw Water 3 and other segments of the regional system, described a new Authority‑led restoration approach, and said the project remains on schedule for a 2031 completion.
Orlando Ortega, administrator for the Eastern New Mexico Water Utility Authority (ENMWUA), told the Water Policy Advisory Committee that major pipeline and treatment components of the regional water project are active and on schedule, with an overall target completion date of 2031.
Ortega said Finished Water 1 is ‘‘15 and a half miles of 33 inch pipeline’’ from northwest of Cannon Air Force Base to the proposed water‑treatment site. He said crews recently laid the last stick of pipe on that segment and that vault construction and valve installation are underway. He described a change in the Authority’s restoration process: rather than wait until a contractor completes all pipeline work, the Authority has begun phased restoration using a local contractor (Drake Industries) and a restoration consultant (Blake Curtis) to preserve topsoil and reseed easement areas promptly.
Other work reported: Raw Water 3 (a 21.7‑mile, 39‑inch pipeline segment) is under construction with survey and crossings in progress; the Texaco lateral was scheduled for bid advertising on January 26 (award expected within 30–60 days); and Raw Water 1A (Ute Reservoir intake segment) was approaching procurement. Ortega said the Authority completed pilot plant design for a temporary treatment plant at the reservoir; the pilot plant will operate about six months and inform the full water‑treatment plant design.
Ortega said Authority engineers and local partners selected a membrane reverse‑osmosis (RO) system after evaluating alternatives, in part because RO removes emerging contaminants such as PFAS and will enable blending treated surface water with groundwater without additional end‑user equipment. Ortega listed economic benefits of construction, citing local hiring and material purchases and reported contract values for large segments: Finished Water 1 (about $50 million) and Raw Water 3 (about $63 million).
Committee members asked about restoration quality and PFAS treatment. Ortega said the Authority has shifted restoration in‑house to improve outcomes and that the RO treatment approach was chosen with member communities, Cannon AFB and engineers to address PFAS and other contaminants.
Ending: Ortega urged the committee to follow project updates on the Authority website and social media; he said the Authority expects to continue mobilization and construction through the coming years and remains on schedule for the 2031 target.
