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Water Quality

Our excellent quality, safe drinking water is monitored by staff 24/7 356 days a year

Safe Drinking Water

The BDD Board has taken several steps to protect Santa Fe’s drinking water and ensure it is safe to drink.

Environment

BDD provides additional water security for your family in times of severe drought

Solar Power

BDD uses solar power to reduce our carbon footprint and utility costs.

Governance

The BDD Board was created by the City of Santa Fe and Santa Fe County

BDD Board

The BDD Board was created by the City of Santa Fe and Santa Fe County.

Take a Tour

Schedule a tour to visit Buckman Direct Diversion''s water treatment facility

Virtual Tour

BDD state-of-the-art facility is showcased by a 360 degree panoramic photo tour!

Your Drinking Water's Journey

Santa Fe’s fourth source of drinking water comes from the Blanco Basin in the Colorado Rockies. Learn about its journey and the history of how it came to be.

Booster Station 2A Solar Array

The Buckman Direct Diversion has installed a second solar array system in June 2014, increasing the amount of total solar energy to 2.5 MW, powering 41 percent of total energy needs to treat and deliver Rio Grande surface water to Santa Fe residents.

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Recreational Access

BDD contracts with security enforcement to patrol along Old Buckman Road at each of our facilities down to the Rio Grande for the safety of our staff and visitors, and also guards against vandalism of the wildlife habitat restoration project and recreation site

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Features of the Buckman Direct Diversion

15 million gallons possible per day peak river diversion capacity
11 miles of pipeline going 1,100 feet uphill from river to plant

12 million gallons (mg) total onsite storage: 8 mg raw water storage. 4 mg treated drinking water storage supply Santa Fe's community

Advanced Treatment Facility in NM and the Southwest featuring Ozone, Membrane Filtration and Granular Activated Carbon for exceptional high quality, great tasting water.
4608 SunPower high efficiency solar modules at Booster Station 2A, plus 4080 solar panels at BDD plant power approximately 41% of our energy.

These solar arrays generate 2.5MW in solar energy, approximately enough to power approximately 2,500 homes

Awards to Date: Leeds Silver certification, 2-NM Water & Wastewater awards, NMED NMIF Best Practices Utilities Award, Design Build Institute of America Innovation award

About 550 new jobs have been created by BDD and solar array constructions

Some Fun Facts About Us

35000

tons of CO2 saved over 25-years

6000+

re-plantings of native vegetation

2M

dollars for habitat restoration

225M

dollars in capital contributions

Advanced Water Treatment

Advanced water treatment process removes 99.99 % of contaminants

Testing Transparency

Water quality is monitored by computerized on-line instruments at each stage of the treatment process

EPA and NMED Reporting

The BDD staff collects water samples to be tested at certified laboratories and submits monthly reports to NMED for compliance

Early Notification System

Early Notification System of water flowing down the Los Alamos canyons

Storm Water Shutdown

Shutdown of the river diversion so we don’t pull contaminated raw river water into our system

Particle Removal Process

BDD’s water treatment plant effectively removes arsenic, uranium, pharmaceuticals and personal care product contaminants
Request a Tour

Our highly knowledgeable staff welcomes the opportunity to showcase Buckman Direct Diversion

Tours focus on the technology that process Rio Grande raw surface water into clean drinking water for the community of Santa Fe, and invites groups of various ages and education levels ranging from Junior high school to graduate studies for customized tours.

Trainings, Seminars & Opportunities

BDD Supports and Participates in Local and Regional Utility Operator’s Trainings

Operators are required to receive yearly training at the BDD, meeting all NM Environment Department (NMED) requirements and encourages all BDD staff to obtain higher education and certifications in their field of work.

Another Source of Sustainable and Reliable Drinking Water

The 19th Annual NM Infrastructure Finance Conference awarded the Buckman Direct Diversion with the Catalina Muniz Award for outstanding achievement in the field of Utilities

Supplying fresh drinking water to the City of Santa Fe and Santa Fe County, and providing non-potable raw water for the pond and golf course at Las Campanas

Buckman Direct Diversion teaches 4th graders about water filtration with hands-on experiments at the Santa Fe Water Conservation's 2015 Children's Water Fiesta

The BDD Project injected $287.2 million in net economic benefits to the Santa Fe regional economy through the completion of construction in 2011, and sustained more than 500 jobs during the same period

Drinking Water Standards

Current standards involve testing drinking water quality for more than 95 contaminants, including:

7 radiochemical contaminants (radionuclides)

8 disinfection by-products & residuals

9 microbials

18 inorganics

53 organics

Sustainable Water for the Espanola Basin

New Mexico is located in the high desert Southwest, and is experiencing drought issues just like the rest of the United States. During a drought, the importance of sustainable water supply becomes paramount.

The film comprehensively describes the three major elements of sustainable water as:

  • wet water (location of the water resource)
  • water rights (legal administration of water use)
  • water infrastructure (man-made and natural systems that function to provide water production, storage, conveyance, treatment, and use)

In order to improve the understanding of sustainable water in our area of Northern New Mexico, Charlie Nylander  scripted, narrated and produced this educational video that describes the major elements of sustainable water in the Espanola Basin.  Numerous water management topics are discussed, and Buckman Direct Diversion, the City of Santa Fe’s Conservation departments, and The Club at Las Campanas’ golf course water conservation initiatives are also featured in this video.

This video was funded by Los Alamos County on behalf of the Espanola Basin Regional Issues Forum (EBRIF), ad hoc forum of county, city, and tribal governments located within the hydrologic basin described as the Espanola Basin.

Las Campanas Water Conservation  or Sustainable Water in the Espanola Basin

Credit to Charlie Nylander and Las Campanas Golf Course for use of this video by BDD.

Oversight Organizations

Our water quality is double checked and supervised by our oversight
organizations to assure your water is safe and clean.

Partners

Community partners worked together to make Buckman Direct Diversion a source of clean water for the City and County of Santa Fe.

Awards & Certifications

The Buckman Direct Diversion has received a number of awards and certifications,
defining the facility as a national leader in water treatment quality.