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Sunland Park hears plan to double North Wastewater Treatment Plant capacity
Summary
Engineers told the City Council the North Wastewater Treatment Plant, now rated at 1 million gallons per day, needs an immediate expansion to 2 MGD to keep pace with rapid local growth; the master plan outlines phased future increases and pipeline upgrades.
Sunland Park City Council members heard a presentation on the engineering master plan for the North Wastewater Treatment Plant, including an immediate proposal to expand the facility from its current 1,000,000-gallon-per-day average capacity to 2,000,000 gallons per day to meet projected growth in the plant's service area.
Matt Thompson, senior vice president at Bohannon Houston, said the plant currently treats wastewater and discharges under an MPDS permit and that rising flows have required diverting part of the load to other treatment facilities. “The plant is rated at a 1,000,000 gallons per day average flow,” Thompson said while outlining flow trends and maps of the service area. He said growth in parts of the north service area is the primary driver for expansion and that planners used worst-case growth projections to size near-term improvements.
The presentation described a phased approach: phase 1 would add a second aeration basin and supporting solids-handling facilities to reach 2 MGD; phases 2 and 3 would be driven by developer investments and could expand capacity further if needed. Planners noted an industrial discharge from a large customer increases design demands — ‘‘it'll increase by approximately 25% because of that one industrial user,’’ Thompson said — and the master plan anticipates re-routing some industrial flows to other plants and upgrading a force main to handle future loads.
Council members asked about reclaimed-water uses and aquifer recharge. Thompson said reclaimed effluent is typically used for irrigating green strips and athletic fields, and that the plant's river discharge contributes to aquifer recharge. City staff added that an urban conservation park is a top priority for reuse planning and that future site tours will show infrastructure tied to phase 2 work.
The presentation concluded with an outline of necessary pipeline work and regulatory constraints on water rights and reuse. Council did not vote on the study itself; staff said design and project approvals would return to council later with cost-sharing agreements and construction timelines.
