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Melody Ranch residents press commissioners for immediate water help as tanker support ends
Summary
Residents of Melody Ranch told commissioners they’ve endured months of unreliable potable water — limiting showers, laundry and sanitation — and urged the county to secure emergency supply or press for a transfer to a new operator. County staff supplied temporary tank cost estimates and said state regulatory limits complicate a quick fix.
Melody Ranch residents told the Torrance County Board of Commissioners on Sept. 10 that they were living without reliable potable water for months and urged immediate county intervention.
Resident Alan Manning described daily hardships in plain terms: "No coffee in the morning. Can not flush the toilet. I can't take a shower or brush my teeth." Several neighbors said they are hauling water, renting hotel rooms for medical needs and watching trees and chickens die in the heat. The meeting drew about a dozen residents who called it a public-health and dignity crisis.
County Manager J. Jordan Barela said the county and Emergency Management had explored options. He presented vendor quotes for temporary storage and delivery: renting two 3,000‑gallon tanks for two months was priced at about $16,000; purchasing tanks would run roughly $8,000 each. A 6,000‑gallon tanker refill was quoted near $3,800, a unit the county said would be needed roughly every 10 days at current consumption rates.
"The tanker that they deployed last Wednesday is going to be the last tanker that they will be able to deploy," Barela told commissioners, noting Albuquerque-area assets that had been supporting Melody Ranch could be pulled because the state program that supplies emergency water has limits.
Residents described gaps beyond logistics, saying the privately owned Melody Ranch Water Company had not maintained reliable infrastructure. "They know that their well is going dry," resident Bruce Sanchez said. "They know that they've needed to upgrade. But nothing has happened." Several residents said weak communications from the water company and uneven delivery schedules left families without useful notice.
County Attorney Michael Garcia and staff warned of legal constraints. Garcia said state constitutional anti‑donation rules constrain county spending on private utilities; one possible workaround would be the county buying water and reselling or billing for it, but that approach poses administration challenges. Emergency Manager Samantha O'Dell said state emergency funds were unlikely because the state regards the problem as a privately owned utility issue.
The county and EMWT (Estancia Mutual Water/Treatment entity) said they could consider a takeover, but EMWT and residents said transfer depends on clear ownership and water‑rights documentation. EMWT representative Amy May said EMWT is willing to help if ownership and water-right issues are clarified.
Commissioners asked staff to pursue several immediate steps: (1) seek emergency filling options with local municipal sources (Moriarty was discussed as a potential filling partner), (2) refine tank-purchase vs rental and hauling costs, and (3) continue pressing the Public Regulation Commission (PRC) enforcement process and any PRC receivership options that could transfer system ownership. Chair Ryan Schwebach urged residents to gather deeds, covenants and communications with the utility to help clarify ownership and water-right claims.
Next steps and timing: county staff said they would return with more precise cost estimates and legal options at a future meeting. Residents said the last Albuquerque Water Authority tanker would leave the site at the end of the week, intensifying urgency.
Provenance: Topic introduced SEG 042; last related discussion SEG 066.
