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Melody Ranch hauling near exhaustion; EMWT seeks $25,000 study and grant support to secure long‑term fixes
Summary
EMWT and county staff reported Melody Ranch remains on state‑funded hauled water (about $250,000 allocated) and that grant funding is needed for tie‑ins or new wells; the board asked EMWT to clarify whether it wants the proposed $25,000 engineering study as a loan or forgivable grant and asked staff to return in two weeks.
Representatives of the East Mountain Water and Tank (EMWT) system briefed the Commission on operations, staffing and urgent funding needs for Melody Ranch. EMWT said about 250 customers currently receive service and the Melody Ranch system is operating under a Boil Water Notice with state‑funded hauling in place; staff reported $250,000 allocated for hauling, a stopgap expected to run out if grant funding is not secured.
EMWT and county staff reviewed several potential grant requests (tie‑in to the City of Moriarty, new well drilling, Growth Fund requests and governor's office funding) totaling multiple hundreds of thousands of dollars and described an engineering/design technical memo estimated at up to $25,000 that the county previously approved as a 0% four‑year loan. Commissioners asked EMWT to confirm whether it prefers a loan, grant or forgivable option and directed staff to return with clarified financial language in two weeks. Emergency Manager Samantha Odell underscored that hauling continues only while state emergency funds remain available and that a long‑term funding solution is urgent.
