BDD News
News Release
For More Information, Contact:
Lynn Pitcher Komer—505-660-7682 cell;
Rick Carpenter — 505-955-4206; 660-5696 cell
BDD Project Seeks Legislative and Congressional
Support to Ensure Additional Safe Water Requirements
for Santa Fe's Drinking Water
Implementation of Safety Measures Continues to be Delayed by U.S. Department of Energy and Los Alamos National Laboratory Despite Repeated Public Verbal Assurances
February 1, 2010
Santa Fe – After more than three years of repeated formal requests to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) to implement an early warning notification system, the BDD Board is requesting legislative and congressional support to implement a formal Memorandum of Understanding to set forth commitments and a completion schedule for the monitoring system. The early warning system is one of six actions requested by the BDD Board in November 2007. The request was made nearly one year before construction began on the BDD Project, which is expected to be operational in the spring of 2011. Construction of the diversion project is nearly 60 percent complete.
“While the BDD Board has worked successfully with LANL on surface water quality measures and appreciates their efforts and support of the BDD Project, BDD Board and staff have continuing concerns and must be certain that storm water runoff from LANL is properly managed, regulated and monitored to ensure contaminants are contained on LANL property and do not reach the Rio Grande,” said Rebecca Wurzburger, chair of the BDD Project Board, City Councilor and Mayor Pro Tem. “The early warning notification system as part of drinking water quality monitoring remains unaddressed and the time has come for further cooperation to conclude this process promptly,” she said.
In 2009, the New Mexico Legislature passed House Memorial 120, sponsored by Representative Brian Egolf, urging the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and the U.S. DOE to engage with the BDD Board to address contamination emanating from LANL so the BDD Project could ensure safe drinking water to its customers, including the request for a Memorandum of Understanding. Nearly a year after the New Mexico Legislature supported a request for the Memorandum of Understanding, and despite numerous verbal assurances and agreed upon components of the early notification system to both the BDD Board and staff, the Memorandum of Understanding has still not been addressed.
“It is time for DOE and LANL to be good neighbors and prove themselves credible to the greater community,” said Virginia Vigil, vice chair of the BDD Project and vice chair of the Board of County Commissioners. “We appreciate the continued support of Representative Egolf and thank him for sponsoring 2010 House Memorial 21, urging the NNSA of the U.S. DOE and LANL to actively work with the BDD Board to ensure the safety of Santa Fe's drinking water,” she said.
The BDD Project Board supports the New Mexico Environment Department's (NMED) call to action for Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) to perform water quality monitoring. The BDD Board appreciates NMED's actions to protect the long-term viability and safety of the water supply to communities downstream of LANL.
“The BDD Project is committed to ensuring a safe and sustainable surface water supply from the Rio Grande for the Santa Fe community. The BDD Board has been active on many fronts to assure drinking water produced by the BDD Project meets all safe drinking water standards, and scientifically demonstrate that drinking water is safe with respect to LANL environmental pollution in order to improve customer confidence, “ said Wurzburger.
Studies have shown that the Rio Grande almost always has water quality that will comply with the most stringent standards advocated for contaminants of LANL origin. However, the BDD Board and Staff must be certain that storm water runoff from LANL is managed and regulated to ensure contaminants are contained on LANL property and do not reach the Rio Grande.
About the Buckman Direct Diversion Project - the BDD Project will provide a sustainable way for the City of Santa Fe and Santa Fe County to access surface water supplies by diverting San Juan-Chama Project water and native Rio Grande water to reduce their reliance on over-taxed ground water resources. Design and construction on the BDD began in September 2008 and is expected to be completed, with the project operational, in spring 2011.