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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

Construction Begins on Buckman Direct Diversion Project

State-of-the-Art Design-Build Project Expected to Take Less Than Three Years to Build And Be Operational by Spring of 2011

For Immediate Release—September 10 , 2008

SANTA FE—Construction has begun on the long-awaited Buckman Direct Diversion Project, which will divert as much as 8,730 acre-feet of water annually from the Rio Grande, treat it at a state-of-the-art facility and deliver the majority of the water to customers of the City of Santa Fe and Santa Fe County.  Las Campanas, LLC, which is a partner in the joint project between the City and the County, will also divert and treat a portion of the water for its residents at a separate facility.

“This has been a long time coming – more than six years to be exact, but it is definitely worth the wait.  The BDD will ensure we have a sustainable supply of drinking water – now and in the future,” said Rebecca Wurzburger, BDD Board Chair, Santa Fe City Councilor and Mayor Pro Tem.

Wurzburger thanked the City, County and Las Campanas for their “unprecedented level
of cooperation” and willingness to work together on a project that will benefit the entire region for years to come.

“Given the wet summer we have just had, some people might believe water is not an issue, but we know that’s not true. We’re over-pumping and potentially damaging the underground aquifer that supplies our groundwater wells, and potentially reducing flows in the Rio Tesuque, Rio Pojoaque and La Cienega Springs. And, even in the best of years, our Santa Fe River reservoirs only supply about half of our region’s water needs,” Wurzburger said.

The BDD Project includes a diversion structure on the east side of the Rio Grande about three miles below the Otowi Bridge northwest of Santa Fe, a sediment removal facility which will return sand to the river, 11 miles of underground raw water pipeline which will convey the water to a raw water lift station and two booster pumping stations which will literally pump the water 1,100 feet uphill; a new 15-million-gallon-per-day Water Treatment Plant near the Municipal Recreational Complex; and two additional booster stations to deliver the treated water to City of Santa Fe and Santa Fe County customers through 15 miles of new “finished” water pipelines. 

The Design-Build (DB) team of CH2M HILL/Western Summit Constructors Joint Venture is responsible for completing design and construction of all the BDD facilities.  The DB team has released its “Big Picture” plan for construction of the BDD, dividing it into six basic phases, which will sometimes overlap:

1.  Project Design –  March–October 2008
2.  Construction of Water Treatment Facility – September 2008–November 2010
3.  Construction of Diversion and Raw Water Facilities – March 2009–November
      2010
4.  Construction of Raw Water Pipelines – November 2008 – June 2009
5.  Construction of Finished Water Pipelines – September 2008 – August 2009
6.  Water Treatment Plant Acceptance Testing – January-February 2011

“Some people envision that we build a project from one end to the other, in a linear fashion, but that is usually not the most effective or efficient way to plan construction,” explained Ray Selvy, joint venture DB general manager. He added, “This phasing plan has been designed to maximize our resources, minimize impact to the public and help us stay on schedule.”

At its peak, the BDD will employ hundreds of people during construction and inject millions of dollars into the local economy. Rick Carpenter, BDD project manager, said approximately 30 full-time positions will be created once the project becomes operational in 2011.

Virginia Vigil, Santa Fe County Commissioner and BDD Board Vice-Chair, emphasized the project will entail a great deal of cooperation and teamwork. She said, “We all need to be patient and to support this important project. There may be minor inconveniences, but we must work together to ensure the safety of everyone involved, including the construction team.”

Vigil added, “The spirit of cooperation that has been shown so far is what will carry us through construction and into a new area of a more flexible, more reliable portfolio of water supply sources in the next few years.”

Persons are encouraged to visit the Buckman Direct Diversion project website – www.bddproject.org for more information.

 

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 groundwater resources. Design and construction on the BDD began in September 2008 and is expected to be completed, with the project operational, by March 2011. Estimated cost for design and construction of the project is approximately $215 million.