This article covers Silver City Water Needs

By Mary Alice Murphy

Before the official welcome at the Interim Legislative Water and Natural Resources Committee meeting held Monday and Tuesday at the Western New Mexico University J. Cloyd Miller Library, Chairman Sen. Peter Wirth invited Sen. Howie Morales to say a few words.

"We really appreciate your being here," Morales said. "Western always does a good job holding the committee meetings, and Prospectors does an excellent job hosting the committee members."

Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost Jack Crocker, on behalf of WNMU President Joseph Shepard and on behalf of the faculty and staff, welcomed the legislators. "These issues are important to the community. I also thank the library staff headed by Gilda Baeza Ortego for facilitating this meeting."

Grant County Commission Chairman Brett Kasten said he was happy the group had chosen Silver City for this meeting. "Water and natural resources are a big part of Grant County. We welcome you to partake of everything we have to offer."

"Go downtown and check out our restaurants," Bruce Ashburn, Prospectors president, encouraged the legislators. We appreciate the opportunity to formally welcome you. Thank you to our Sen. Morales, and our representatives, Dianne Hamilton, John Zimmerman and Dona Irwin, who represents a small portion of the county."

Wirth noted that the committee is made up of 33 members, who are senators and representatives.

The first presentation on the agenda brought Silver City Assistant Town Manager James Marshall to the table, in place of Town Manager Alex Brown, who was unable to attend. Marshall addressed the topic: Silver City Area Water Supply Needs.

"The town of Silver City owns 4,834 acre-feet of water rights," Marshall said. "We utilize 4,567 in the town's well fields. We have the capacity to transport 80 percent of that water into town. We also provide water to homes in the extra-territorial zone and to large water associations. We serve about 18,000 of the people in the county with municipal water."

He said, in 2006, the town had Balleau Groundwater Inc. create a 40-year plan for Silver City. At that time, the plan showed 1,100 acre-feet of water available from the Gila Basin and about 3,600 from the Mimbres Basin. "The study showed the Mangas Trench was recharging at 15,000 acre-feet a year. At the time, we were pumping 2.800 acre-feet from the wells. With a projected growth rate of 1.2 percent, the water was estimated to last to 2044. In 2009, the Interstate Stream Commission updated the regional water plan, and we showed a growth rate of .6, which would allow the amount of water to last until 2118."

"As a result of the 2006 study, the town has identified infrastructure problems and began working on the regional water distribution plan," he continued. "We have made a huge effort to replace old infrastructure. Twice a year, we do leak detection. Some of our infrastructure is more than 100 years old. We also do water meter calibration.

"The regional water distribution plan was begun to provide water to Hurley, which has no water rights of its own," Marshall said. "Freeport McMoRan has been providing the town water, but set a deadline of 2018 to cease doing so. The Arizona Water Settlements Act through the Interstate Stream Commission awarded us $2.1 million. The final design was funded by the Colonias Infrastructure Fund. The project is on its way, but we are searching for the rest of the funds anywhere we can. The town of Silver City has committed 940 acre-feet to Hurley. Some comes from the rights we own near the Grant County Airport and some from recharge credits from the wastewater treatment plant. In 2011, the town implemented a water conservation plan. We will also replace meters with radio-read meters, and we are seeking the best software for billing.

"With the radio-read meters, users will be able to implement indoor water conservation, because we will be able to provide individual plans on water usage," he continued. "We amended our water rate, which did have a rate for the first 3,000 gallons, and now we bill for the first 1,000 gallons and then increase the rate on increments of 1,000 gallons and more on the next 1,000 and so on."

He said conservation is increasing, with the current usage of water rights at 2,293 used in 2014. "In the July just past, we had the lowest July usage on record. The public is recognizing the need to conserve. We were pumping 64 percent of our water rights. Now, it's 53 percent. Our revenues are increasing due to the decrease in what we're pumping. Implementing our conservation plan extends our water rights. We are projecting they could get us to the 2200s. We want to assure you that we will be prepared."

The first legislator to ask a question was Rep. Bill McCamley. "I am working on a bill for the four largest water using municipalities. Could you explain your billing again?"

Marshall clarified that the first 1,000 gallons are billed at the lowest rate, with the rate escalating with each additional 1,000 gallons. "Some are not happy, especially those who are on fixed incomes."

McCamley also asked what the average usage per person was. "About 112 per person. That is still high. But Western had an issue with a swimming pool that was leaking 9,000 gallons a day. That is fixed."

"It shows if we look toward conservation, we will be more efficient," McCamley concluded.

Rep. Paul Bandy asked how much the decrease in water usage in July was due to precipitation.

"Rain absolutely impacts water usage," Marshall said. "In July, we had a lot of rain. That's why it was the lowest usage."

Bandy asked the depths of the wells. Robert Esqueda, Silver City Utilities director, said the town's wells have an average depth of 800 feet.

"Has all the water been adjudicated?" Bandy asked. "Yes," Esqueda said.

Rep. Bealquin "Bill" Gomez asked what water rights cost.

"We own the rights," Esqueda said. "The credits are given on the basis of the annual recharge."

Gomez asked the question again. Marshall said the cost varies widely. Esqueda said part of the difference is because some are in the Gila Basin and some in the Mimbres Basin. "It's harder to get water rights in the Gila Basin, and we run into the block system in the Mimbres, where we have problems in transferring rights."

Sen. Joseph Cervantes asked about Silver City's growth rate.

"We were at 10,300," Esqueda said. "Now we are just under 10,000, so it's flat."

Cervantes asked where the mining water rights holders fit in.

"I've heard they have 40,000 acre-feet in water rights," Marshall said. "They don't use anywhere close to those levels."

"We've done studies on potential impacts to our water rights," Esqueda said. "We are comfortable there are no impacts."

Sen. Gerald Ortiz y Pino asked if the numbers included the recharge of the Mangas Trench. "And what do you do with the water treatment effluent?"

Esqueda said the effluent discharges into the San Vicente Arroyo, with some being used to water the golf course.

"Is Hurley a colonia?" Ortiz y Pino asked.

Southwest New Mexico Council of Governments Executive Director Priscilla Lucero confirmed Hurley is eligible for colonias funding. "Grant County has 38 designated colonias. The current grant for funding the planning for the water distribution system will impact nine colonias. We didn't see population changes in the census, but we have seen growth in the water districts. "

Wirth asked why Silver City did not join the New Mexico Central Arizona Project Entity.

"Our own water situation is comfortable for a couple of hundred years," Marshall said. "We don't stick our neck out on risk. I gave a presentation to the town council. I had comments on the joint powers agreement, such as a group can get out of the entity, but it doesn't give up the commitments it made. We have water rights and wet water for the next couple of hundred years. I can get you my notes and the town attorney's review. We felt the agreement was fatally flawed."

"Were you able to project costs?" Wirth asked.

"No," Marshal said, "and that was a huge red flag that it couldn't project costs and the availability of water."

Wirth said Santa Fe was working on conservation—the low-hanging fruit. "We do have a diversion, the San Juan-Chama. We have the diversity of that water but we have the cost that diversion brings. It's an incentive to conserve or pay more."

The next article in the series will be on the New Mexico CAP Unit studies, plans and status update.