By Jimmy Currier, Observer staff writer
If you can’t beat them, join them. That’s partially what Congresswoman Heather Wilson (R-1st District) believes. The outgoing congresswoman, who is running for the Senate, secured $500,000 for the Town of Bernalillo and $300,000 for the City of Rio Rancho to be used for arsenic treatment in each municipality’s water system.
 Wilson said the federal funding would help defray the costs of meeting new EPA Arsenic standards that Wilson originally opposed because of their high cost and questionable benefit for smaller communities in New Mexico.
She made the announcement on Friday, while touring a new arsenic treatment facility, known as Well No. 12, near the Enchanted Hills area in Rio Rancho.
“New Mexico naturally has higher levels of arsenic in our volcanic soil, and treating the water is expensive for communities like Rio Rancho and the Town of Bernalillo,” she said. “I opposed this new rule, but we were not able to stop it from being implemented. These funds should provide some help for towns facing high costs for new equipment needed to comply with the new EPA rule.”
Wilson said the money would help prevent water bills from drastically increasing.
The funding was passed just before Christmas in the 2008 appropriations bill that funded a number of government agencies and programs. President George W. Bush signed the legislation on December 26, 2007.
“We appreciate it,” Rio Rancho mayor Michael Williams said. “With a tight budget, this will help us purchase the equipment we need to analyze the water.”
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency adopted a new Arsenic Rule, reducing the maximum contaminant level for arsenic in drinking water from 50 parts per billion (ppb) to 10 ppb. In layman’s terms, the new regulations are equivalent to 500 drops of water in an Olympic-sized swimming pool.
Based upon an evaluation by the New Mexico Environment Department, 95 water systems in New Mexico are affected by the new arsenic rule. The Town of Bernalillo and Rio Rancho are included on that list.
Water quality monitoring has determined that arsenic levels in the Town of Bernalillo water supply are in excess of 20 ppb. To reduce the levels of arsenic in the drinking water supply, the Town of Bernalillo is proposing the installation of a new Arsenic Treatment Facility that will treat groundwater. The new treatment facility will be designed to treat an estimated flow of 3 million gallons per day.
Rio Rancho’s treatment facility is targeted for completion in July 2008. The total construction cost is $3.6 million. The facility will be 7,585 square feet and will use granular iron media to remove arsenic from the water system.
Rio Rancho city officials say the $300,000 appropriated by Rep. Wilson will be used for onsite analyzer equipment, allowing arsenic levels to be monitored real-time. This will enable close control of the chemicals used in the treatment process, resulting in continuous cost-savings to Rio Rancho taxpayers.
“We are pleased to show Congresswoman Wilson one of the arsenic treatment facilities the city is constructing. Federal funding that has recently been secured will help provide vital equipment to these sites,” Williams said.
“The Town of Bernalillo is excited to learn of the appropriations for our Arsenic Treatment project. This funding will be used for phase II which encompasses two additional water wells (No. 1 and No. 2) and offset some of the projected costs of $5.5 million dollars,” Bernalillo Mayor Patricia A. Chávez said. “We appreciate the ongoing support of our legislative delegation in Washington. We are working hard to improve the quality of water through detection, treatment and removal of contaminants for the benefit of all Bernalillo residents and businesses.”
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