Officials hope for 'accelerated' pipeline proposal

CLOVIS — It will take roughly $90 million more to complete much of the Eastern New Mexico Water Utility Authority’s Interim Ground Water Pipeline, officials said Thursday.

How many years that will take is another question, but board members in their regular meeting discussed their hopes for an “accelerated proposal” to securing that funding at federal, state and local levels.

In a presentation on the IGWP finance plan, ENMWUA administrator Orlando Ortega said the authority’s “intent is to apply for the maximum amount” of Water Trust Board funding available in the coming fiscal year, or approximately $4.5 million.

Ortega said he also wants the authority’s finance committee to work on coming up with “maybe a few scenarios” based on examining different loan amounts, interest rates and term lengths and “looking at potential revenue from the sale of groundwater.”

ENMWUA officials have previously emphasized their interest in accelerating the completion of IGWP, which ENMWUA Chair David Lansford on Thursday said was the “greatest hope and vision” in the short-term. The long-term target is still at the Ute Reservoir in Quay County.

ENMWUA is also hosting a meeting Sept. 13 with the state engineer and the recently appointed Interstate Stream Commission director, including a site visit of the Finished Water 2 pipeline between Clovis and Cannon Air Force Base.

Work on FW2 continues on schedule with “substantial completion” forecast for mid-November, project managers said in a report Thursday.

Ortega said the early work on Finished Water 3, the pipeline component of IGWP between Portales and Clovis, advances with the acquisition of 16 easements and another 27 in progress.

The board meets next at 3 p.m. Sept. 26 at ENMWUA’s Clovis office.