McKinley County Water Board
M I N U T E S
McKinley
County Complex
MEMBERS PRESENT:
Edward Wemytewa Pueblo
of Zuni
Paulene McCabe Manuelito
Chapter
Charley Long, Sr. Thoreau
Chapter
Michael Daly White Cliffs MDWUA
Jonathan Flannery GIMC
Loline Hathaway Yah-ta-Hey WSD
Sherry Botkin Thoreau WSD
Rhonda Berg Rehoboth Red Mesa
Foundation
facilitators/staff:
Larry Winn McKinley Soil &
Water Conservation District
Evan Williams Northwest New
Mexico Council of Governments
Charley
Long, Sr. moved, and Mike Daly seconded to approve the minutes of November
10, 2004. The motion was approved
by acclamation.
A. Discussion: Sustaining Small Systems. Larry Winn continued the discussion regarding issues, needs, and problems that small systems providers in McKinley County have. Loline Hathaway opened discussion by talking about the basic needs that Yah-ta-hey WSD have in hiring quality workers to read the water meters, acquiring adequate local training and workforce development, and obtaining a certified operator. She expressed her hope to move forward the idea of organizing and holding a “Small Systems Forum”. Mike Daly echoed her sentiments and offered that it might be best to start by breaking down the issues that effect small systems across the board.
Jonathan Flannery stated that he has dealt with similar problems of three-year certification. He started by getting area hospitals and facility operators together as a collaborative body and then talking trainers into holding training sessions in the local area to save on travel and training fees. He added that this method has proved to be more cost-effective than sending individuals to Albuquerque to get re-certified. Jonathan Flannery also described his experience of moving from Arizona, where they have a real active Society of Healthcare Engineering to New Mexico, where they did not have a branch. He facilitated the formation of such a branch in NM, and suggested that one of the small districts might need to step up and move this forward for the benefit of all small systems.
Loline Hathaway offered the insight regarding Las Cruces businesses that have certified operators and contract with local water groups to perform needed services. She went on to discuss the problem of increasing regulations on water associations required by agencies. Mike Daly added an example that the “Consumer Confidence Report” alone is a hefty task that could be automated to ease the reporting requirement. He stated that all that changes in those reports is the water results and the rest is boilerplate that could be easily made into an electronic format.
Mike Daly discussed the training issues and that the City of Gallup has offered classes locally. Loline added that the City does have occasionally accredited classes, but that the information is hard to access.
Edward Wemytewa offered insight on Zuni’s situation, and remarked that the Zuni Tribal Council is in the process of restructuring and reorganizing how they operate and staff their systems needs. He also added that maybe at one of our future meetings, he could arrange a site tour of Zuni’s operating system.
ACTION: Design, organize, and facilitate the “First Annual Small Systems Forum” for the Water Board’s April 9th meeting.
SUB-ACTIONS:
1. Create a tasklist for organizing this meeting.
2. Create a pre-forum survey for each small system, including but limited to questions regarding the following:
(a) Wells? How Many? Condition? Year Built?
(b) Number of Clients?
(c) Employees? Do you have a certified operator?
(d) Software?
(e) Rate Structure?
(f) Think about issues and problems your small system faces, both in terms of physical infrastructure and as an organization; and be prepared to succinctly address those issues and problems.
3. Script a cover letter to go over the survey explaining what it will be used for and how to fill it out, to be signed by Water Board.
4. Script and finalize a draft agenda at the January meeting to be attached with letter and survey as well.
5. Contact Rural Water Users Association, Tracy Svanda and April at NMED to give presentations on their opinion of the state of small systems across NM.
1.
Application / Funding History:
(a)
2000 – Richard Rose, NMED, accepted and approved White
Cliffs for a 3% construction loan, which was denied by DFA.
(b)
2003 – NMFA Water & Wastewater Bill was passed, and
White Cliffs was accepted to be funded at 100%, but no appropriation was made.
2.
Current Method of Dealing with Wastewater:
(a)
Use holding tanks and then effluent is sent to ponds for
evaporation.
(b)
NMED orders that what does not evaporate needs to be hauled
off.
(c)
White Cliffs would need about 5 acres to evaporate right.
3.
Short Term Solution (1-2 year fix) - $16, 000
(a)
To haul off by truck wastewater to the City of Gallup’s
Wastewater Treatment Plant.
(b)
To fix the liner of ponds, again.
4.
Long Term Solution (12-15 year fix) – ($500,000 –
$600,000)
(a)
Build a new pump station.
(b)
Line ponds on the 20-acre parcel of land adjacent to White
Cliffs.
DISCUSSION:
Paulene McCabe told Mike Daly that
EPA, out of the San Francisco Office, have a funding source available to deal
with long-term wastewater solutions.
Larry Winn discussed the need for
water associations to have a long-range plans and long-term solutions that they
are willing to pay into. Rhonda Berg
added that she was worried about endorsing a short-term fix, and asked the
Board how they felt about this issue and maybe the association needed to have a
long-range plan. Paulene McCabe
expressed that sometimes a short- term fix, puts a community into a position
where they can pursue longer-term solutions.
There was further discussion that emergency situations do come up and
need to be addressed, and Larry Winn re-iterated that emergencies are the
reason for this funding source.
Mike Daly expressed to the Board
that he would have a long-range plan to go along with his request to the
Commission. Rhonda Berg emphasized that
this would set a proper precedent that short-term projects still need a
long-term plan.
CONSENSUS:
Rhonda Berg motioned to
“Recommend that after talking in depth with Mr. Daly, the Water Board feels
comfortable to fund the emergency needs of White Cliffs MDWUA, pending a
systemic planning document.
The motion was
moved by Loline Hathaway and seconded by Paulene McCabe. Consensus was reached by the Board.
ACTION: To establish a protocol to deal with short-term emergency requests that come forward.
Paulene McCabe – The Churchrock Spill also effected other communities along the Rio Puerco, including Manuelito and no statistical data has even been put together on the effects. Even IHS has no information on the effect to people and livestock.
Rhonda Berg – Who is responsible for cleanup at the
Navajo Nation? Abandoned Mine Land,
out of the Shiprock Office. And the
State of NM Environment Department is also assisting with Derrith
Watchman-Moore.
Larry Winn – Is ENDAUM’s position that there is no safe
way to mine uranium? Yes. It is also against Navajo cultural beliefs
to mine or dig up anything that is in the ground – including uranium, coal,
etc.
Jonathan Flannery – We cannot economical produce energy anymore, and without alternative energy sources will end up paying 8 to 9 times more for energy. It is the same in the case of water.
Wynoma Foster – Offered the group to arrange a meeting with their hydrologist to discuss the more technical questions.
Evan
Williams, Associate Planner
Northwest
New Mexico Council of Governments