From left are County Commissioner Gabriel Ramos and Santa Clara Mayor Richard Bauch, watching as Gila National Forest Hydrologist Carolyn Koury points out potential ponding sites on the map.Photos and article by Mary Alice Murphy

Grant County Commissioner Gabriel Ramos, who has been working on a similar project for about five years, has teamed up with Santa Clara, Bayard and the Forest Service to plan wetlands using treated effluent from the Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant to recharge aquifers and provide riparian habitat.

A field trip on Tuesday morning took officials out to the general area along Twin Sisters Creek, where wetlands might be placed. They included Ramos, Gila National Forest Supervisor Adam Mendonca, Santa Clara Mayor Richard Bauch, Bayard Mayor Pro Tem Chon Fierro, and Aaron Beckworth, Drinking Water Bureau compliance officer. In addition Mike Natharius, Gila National Forest soil biologist; Carolyn Koury, GNF hydrologist; Tony Ybarra, GNF wildlife biologist; Forest Service intern Paul Min; and volunteer Uri Seitz, plus this reporter, went on the trip.

Mendonca said the agency had looked at several possible sites.

Discussing the possible pond sites are from left, Drinking Water Bureau Compliance Officer Aaron Beckworth, Bayard Mayor Pro Tem Chon Fierro, Ramos, Bauch, and Koury.Ramos said Bayard had a concern for water to be provided to Cameron Creek, too, to recharge Bayard's well fields.

Bauch said the treatment plant provides close to 600,000 gallons of discharge a day at this time, and has the full capacity for 1.1 million.

Mendonca said he found it an interesting project. "We will continue the conversation with the compliance personnel, but I think we can try to have a riparian area for wildlife habitat. We have seen some examples in Arizona that are working well."

At one of the potential sites, Koury listens to Gila National Forest Supervisor Adam Mendonca talk about the possible benefits to the use of the effluent."If we team up, we can streamline the process," Mendonca said.

Beckworth asked if the purpose for the water was for habitat and to irrigate ball fields and parks. Ramos confirmed that Bayard was planning the latter usage.

"But there's more water than Bayard can utilize," Mendonca said.

Beckworth said records show that the infiltration gallery for Santa Clara is inactive. Bauch countered that and said it is active and has 265,000 acre-feet of water rights. "We are hoping to run it through Fort Bayard." Bauch noted that Cameron and Twin Sisters creeks come together at the Bayard well field.

"As far as we are concerned the infiltration gallery in Santa Clara is not activated," Beckworth said. "We would need to see a re-authorization letter from an engineer. It may have been overlooked." He pointed out groundwater systems are not required to be filtered or treated, but surface water requires filtration and chlorination.

"Our main goal is to get ponding or small reservoirs for habitat and recharge," Ramos said.

Koury said, in similar projects in Arizona, small berms created the wetlands.

Mendonca said the ponds would have to be off the drainage, because although the water is treated, it was not potable. "We are having conversations on how to meet regulations in the simplest way possible. We live in the arid Southwest, we want to maintain the water in the system, so it doesn't just flow through. It could mean help to the communities and the habitat."

To a question about pond size, Koury said they would be small, therefore appropriate for waterfowl habitat, but not large enough for fishing.

GNF personnel pointed out the missing player, who has not been able to attend the conversations. is New Mexico Game & Fish Department. They would be key to the wildlife component of the project.

Bayard Mayor Pro Tem Chon Fierro said it had been suggested to put a line from the tank behind Cobre High School and run it to the areas chosen for wetlands.

Bauch said the village of Santa Clara had received from the Interstate Stream Commission funding for a preliminary engineering report.

"It is key to do some bores to test water holding capabilities in potential ponding areas," Koury said. "Perhaps some of the money could be used for that."

"If we can use the ponds and wetlands to recharge the aquifers, that makes it sustainable," Mendonca said. "Water is key in this area."

Fierro asked how deep the ponds would be and Koury replied something like three or four feet "to make it kind of marshy."

Mendonca said the benefit of the wetlands is that they slow the water flows.

For the process of continuing to work together, Mendonca said, at the least, a letter from each community should be submitted, but "a memorandum of understanding is best. It permits us to work together. We will run into hurdles, but working together will keep us on track."

He noted the recreational aspects of the ponds were also viable, as they would provide for birding and wildlife viewing for residents and visitors.