BDD News
News Release
For More Information, Contact:
Patti Watson — 1-800-687-3417/505-269-9691 cell
Rick Carpenter — 505-955-4206; 660-5696 cell
U.S. Forest Service Affirms Record of Decision on Buckman Direct Diversion Project
Project Moves One Step Closer to Completion of NEPA Process
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—May 1, 2008
SANTA FE— The Southwest Regional Office of the U.S. Forest Service yesterday affirmed its Record of Decision (ROD) for the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) on the Buckman Direct Diversion (BDD) project. This action signals that the U.S. Forest Service has reviewed all issues raised in appeals to the Decision and has determined that the ROD and FEIS have already sufficiently addressed those issues.
“This is good news. We are pleased the U.S. Forest Service has affirmed its Record of Decision designating the BDD as the best alternative in addressing our immediate need for a sustainable means of accessing surface water supplies for the City of Santa Fe, Santa Fe County, and Las Campanas Limited Partnership,” said Santa Fe City Councilor and BDD Board Chair Rebecca Wurzburger.
The ROD is a legal document detailing the formal decision from the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Bureau of Land Management, which own the land upon which the BDD will be constructed, and explains the “why” of that decision. It is the final step in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process, which must be completed before BDD construction can begin.
After the Notice of Availability for the ROD was announced on Feb. 11, 2008, individuals and groups were given 45 days to appeal the decision to the U.S. Forest Service and 30 days to appeal the decision to the Bureau of Land Management. That appeal of the BLM Taos Regional Office that adopted the same ROD is still pending before the Department of Interior.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the New Mexico Environment
Department have or will place stringent conditions and constraints on the
BDD project to assure its water meets all state and federal drinking water
standards.
The ROD also includes 17 specific requirements or sets of requirements the
BDD must implement to minimize or mitigate the project’s environmental
impacts, including replacement of fish and wildlife habitat. To access
an electronic version of the Record of Decision, persons can visit www.blm.gov/nm and
click on “Buckman Water Diversion Project” on the front page.
“We assure the City of Santa Fe and Santa Fe County that the BDD will consistently and reliably deliver safe, high quality drinking water and that this project is the best way to provide the necessary water resources from the Rio Grande. We do not have other viable options. This is needed to ensure our future,” Wurzburger concluded.
A copy of both the FEIS and the ROD are on the project’s website (www.bddproject.org) under the “Construction” section – FEIS and ROD.
About the Buckman Direct Diversion Project
The Buckman Direct Diversion (BDD) project will provide a sustainable
way for the City of Santa Fe and Santa Fe County and their limited partner,
Las Campanas, 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. The BDD will divert water from the Rio Grande,
pipe it underground to a water treatment plant near the Municipal Recreational
Complex, then treat and deliver the water to customers of the City of Santa
Fe and Santa Fe County. Las Campanas will receive and treat a portion of
the water for its residents at a facility that is not part of the BDD. Design
and construction on the BDD is expected to begin in 2008.