Q&A: Water authority director talks pipeline funding, goals

Editor’s note: Eastern New Mexico Water Utility Authority Executive Director Justin Howalt discussed several topics as part of a periodic series checking up on issues related to the authority.

Is ENMWUA hoping to achieve any milestones in 2017?

Absolutely. There’s three big accomplishments that we’re going to be going through in 2017, the first being starting construction on the first sub-phase of the pipeline itself, in an area just north of Cannon Air Force Base and just east of Cannon Air Force Base. We’re looking to start that at the end of the summer months.

The second big accomplishment that we’re going to be working on in 2017 is a scenario plan, which is where we will collaborate with each of our communities and each of our stakeholders to find out what they’re doing within their communities, how that fits within what we’re trying to accomplish, timing of each other’s goals, and how we can phase and move forward working together.

The third thing that we’re looking forward to is that we’re one out of five projects that the bureau of reclamation has selected to put an RFI — request for information — out on to get feedback from the private sector on the viability of having private industry feedback regarding our project and being able to move it forward.

What roadblocks do you anticipate with no money coming from the Water Trust Board this year? Do you foresee more funding issues in future years?

We don’t see any roadblocks occurring without receiving funding through the Water Trust Board this year. We’ll obviously continue to work with them in future years to try and receive funding through that application cycle, but we’re also cognizant of where the state is and its overall budget outlook, so we recognize those situations and we’ll continue to move the project forward with the resources we do have.

As far as future budgets are concerned, regarding on the federal or the state side, I’m not able to predict what’s going to happen on the state or on the federal side, so we’ll just continue to work with our partners in both the state and the federal to move forward with what they do have and what we can do with each one of those as their budgets do come out.

What are your thoughts on the new Secretary of the Interior, Ryan Zinke?

We’re excited that Secretary Zinke was confirmed. He is from Montana. Montana does have projects that are within the rural water project fund of the Bureau of Reclamation, so he understands where the fund is and what they’re trying to accomplish with that aspect of the Bureau of Reclamation, so we think that it’s going to be positive and we’re looking forward to working with the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Reclamation underneath his leadership.

How many easements are left to secure construction of the pipeline? When do you estimate you will have them secured? Do you see any challenges in doing so?

We are currently in the process of securing easements for the portion of the pipeline in which we have developed 100 percent design plans on. This includes the portion of the pipeline from just north of CAFB to Clovis and from CAFB to Portales. These two sections of pipeline will require a total of 58 easements. Of the 58 easements we have 17 secured, 32 additional offer letters sent out and 9 pending appraisals. Once those appraisals are completed we will send out the offer letters for those properties.

Currently, our goal is to have the remaining easements secured by the end of the year. Throughout the process we reach out to the property owners to answer questions regarding the need for the easement, what an owner can or cannot do on the land should they agree to the easement or general questions that they may have concerning the project. Of course, when developing a large infrastructure project you will always encounter challenges. We are transparent about the need and steps that were taken in developing the offer and provide the appraisals to the owner for their own review. Our goal is to make the process as easy and open as possible to the land owner and to resolve any concerns that they may have.

— Compiled by Staff Writer Eamon Scarbrough