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Taos council approves SMA proposal to study wastewater plant upgrades amid new nutrient limits
Summary
The Town of Taos approved a $124,132 proposal from SMA Operations LLC to prepare a Preliminary Engineering Report (PER) for the wastewater treatment plant after a presentation on new nutrient limits, alternative disposal options and phased improvements to avoid costly full-scale reverse-osmosis upgrades.
The Town of Taos voted Dec. 10 to approve a $124,132 proposal from SMA Operations LLC to prepare a Preliminary Engineering Report for the town’s wastewater treatment facility, a step officials say is needed to respond to upcoming nutrient limits.
SMA senior manager Paul Kennedy told the council the state’s Water Quality Control Commission has set new limits on total nitrogen and total phosphorus in the Rio Pueblo de Taos, the plant’s outfall. Meeting those limits eventually could require a reverse-osmosis treatment system, Kennedy said, “which produces a very high quality effluent” but would substantially increase costs and likely raise sewer rates.
The PER will build on a technical memorandum completed this fall that modeled five years of plant data and outlined phased optimization measures. Kennedy said the report will evaluate three areas: influent (what’s coming into the plant), process optimization at the plant itself, and disposal or reuse of the effluent. Disposal alternatives to be studied include routing discharge to a different outfall (the Rio Grande), creating a reclaimed water irrigation system for parks and other uses, or using evaporation/infiltration ponds; each option carries different permitting and treatment implications.
Council members pressed staff on costs already incurred for membrane replacements — referencing recent investments of roughly $800,000–$900,000 — and asked whether the PER would address return flow credits and coordination with the Office of the State Engineer and the Environment Department. Kennedy said return-flow credit issues and permit coordination will be part of the PER’s decision parameters and scoring.
The council approved the proposal by voice and roll call; staff clarified that tonight’s action approves the SMA proposal and that a separate contract addendum and formal contract approval will follow as part of the procurement process.
What happens next: SMA will proceed with the PER work outlined in the proposal; a contract addendum and schedule will be brought back to the council for final execution. The town will use findings from the PER to inform asset-replacement planning and future rate studies.
