Portales, board discuss water project viability

While attendees seemed divided in a town hall meeting Tuesday night between the Portales City Council and the Eastern New Mexico Water Utility Authority to discuss the Ute Water Pipeline Project, one point was unanimously agreed upon: The importance of bringing water to eastern New Mexico.

“We can kick the can down the road a year, 10 years, 20 years, if we do all the things that we say we’re going to do: Conservation of playas, all this stuff. But, there is no doubt we’re gonna need the Ute Water Project in some form or another,” said Councilor Jim Lucero. “We need to find the most cost-feasible way to do it, but there is no doubt that decisions need to be made. I know this is a very contentious thing. We need water. Period.”

Authority Chair Gayla Brumfield said the meeting was held to discuss issues raised in a previous city council meeting about the viability of the pipeline project, as well as to address concerns held by attendees.

The project, Brumfield said, would cost $550 million and would pipe water from Ute Lake to ENMWUA’s member communities, which include Clovis, Portales, Grady, Texico, Elida and Melrose.

Discussion of procurement of federal aid for the project stirred up some contention among city councilors.

Councilor Chad Heflin expressed concern after ENMWUA Federal Consultant John Ryan emphasized a need to show the pipeline project is “shovel ready” in order to receive federal funding.

“So, just so I’m clear, what you’re saying is, we keep throwing money in this project, so we look better to the federal government, so they’re more likely to fund this project?” Heflin asked.

“I’m saying that the federal government oftentimes puts seed money into projects, and they want local entities to put skin in the game to show you’re committed to the project,” Ryan said.

This prompted Heflin to ask if Portales had enough “skin in the game.”

Ryan answered that he believed all member communities were showing their commitment.

“We wouldn’t be to this point. We wouldn’t be ready to take the next step, starting to put pipe in the ground and connecting communities to areas of the aquifer that are more productive,” Ryan said. “If we don’t do that, we will never get this built, and we have to do it in phases, because there isn’t a pot of money that’s gonna fund the six rural water projects (nationwide) right away.”

Heflin then asked what would happen if the authority spent money to show their commitment and were then denied funding for the project.

“You said it’s not guaranteed,” Heflin said, “so what if they just don’t give us the money? Then we’re dead in the water anyway, right?”

Ryan suggested that the authority fund the project in phases to avoid such a situation.

“As we take each component and get it funded — however it’s funded — whether it’s the state or local or whatever. If we get a big chunk out of the infrastructure bill, we build a phase, and then that phase will hold us over as we build that next phase,” he said, “but we keep advocating for more until we complete the entire project.”

Brumfield noted that the project is one of six rural water projects authorized by the Bureau of Reclamation.

“If you walk into the Bureau of Reclamation Office, they know who we are,” Brumfield said. “They know that they have committed to us, and they know that they will fund us. I don’t go with the theory, ‘What if they don’t fund us,’ because they have authorized us, which means they will make appropriations to us.”

Despite reassurances by members of ENMWUA, councilors maintained deep concerns regarding the city’s fiscal commitment to the project.

“The bottom line is, there’s only so much money, and we’re responsible for deciding what to do with that. That’s the bottom line,” said Councilor Jessica Smith. “It’s not that we don’t want to help, but at what point do we stop funding our other projects to put more money towards this project?”

ENMWUA Executive Director Justin Howalt acknowledged that the council was in a difficult position.

“Every community has lots of needs,” Howalt said. “Trying and figuring out how to make all those needs happen is a hard question. That’s up for the elected officials to figure out how to spend and make best use of their taxpayer dollars.”