Congresswomen Yvette Herrell recap letter
- Paul Spencer, W.I.L.L. for Prosperity
- Dec 26, 2023
- 3 min read
In the small community of Bluewater village
$136, 902.27 of hard earned tax payers money has already been spent on engineering fees from rip loan 0015 fy 2019-2020 for Bluewater Water and Sanitation District sewer plant that is now currently finalized at 90% completed design. BWSD would prefer a safe and clean smelling wastewater treatment plant option, with an estimated cost of under $40,000.00 to complete design to 100% fidelity and the associated specification and bid on package so that the project is 'shovel-ready .
New Mexico Environmental Department (NMED) as of recently stated that because Bluewater Water And sanitation will not and "can not raise rates higher than the already 300% rate increase” currently in effect that makes bwsd rates 50% higher than surrounding areas that positions BWSD, according to NMED, to not be in a financial position to afford a wastewater treatment plant.
(These increasing rates having already been applied to the community members of Bluewater Village since 2013 so as to demonstrate skin in the game by the community and the district so that BWSD can come into compliance with state and federal regulations and the requirements to meet grant/ loan capacity for the recently built well water arsenic treatment plant that was finalized fy2019.)
With the guidance and direction of NMED 2021, BWSD would have to spend another additional $40,000.00 for a PER for a sewer lagoon option that offers lower operating cost rather than a sewer treatment plant as originally intended and previously anticipated to be built because BWSD can't afford in their opinion to operate a sewer treatment plant. Note it was stated by nmed "unless PER states otherwise"
BWSD is looking for affordable funding of 3 Million dollars for:
New WasteWater Treatment Plant
Replacement of aging infrastructure namely the Wastewater sewer mains from the elementary school to the wastewater treatment plant
BWSD After Exhausting all sources of funding provided by New Mexico state primacy programs and legislative request fy 2020-2021, is still currently out of compliance in the lagoon area of the wastewater treatment plant due to ponds being unlined.
The American people cannot allow engineers and contractors to get away with overruns of up to 25% of total project cost (over paid invoices ) due to lack of oversight caused by government agencies inability to retain employees due to lack of funding. These failures come at the expense of communities losing the opportunity to provide clean, safe affordable public water systems . (Note BWSD previous experience 2019) https://docs.google.com/document/d/149pmnpz32Wcen-NJ1uJk6krNM13Ywp4RTVtdEdFdvWA/edit
The inadequacies and inconvenience caused by the lack of Prioritizing adequate affordable funding for small community public water systems and proper funding for primacy programs for decades has caused costly deficiencies in serving the people of the United States of America's small rural communities.
These deficiencies make it incredibly difficult and burdensome for public water systems to properly keep compliance with the laws and regulations set by government bodies and this is unacceptable to the American people.
For the health, safety and peace of our communitiesI hope that we can work together to make a difference not only for this small community of Bluewater Village but all community public water systems throughout New Mexico.
How can you help your community achieve greater things that will lead us to a better tomorrow?
Sign your name in support for the BWSD section 1454 petition requesting financial and technical assistance.
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Thanks,
Paul Spencer
mobile: 505-287-0156
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