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

Buckman Direct Diversion Project Receives Major Permit

EPA Authorizes BDD to Return Some Sediment to the Rio Grande at the Diversion Site

For Immediate Release—November 7, 2008

SANTA FE— The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Region 6 on October 24, 2008 issued a long-awaited National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) final permit that will allow the Buckman Direct Diversion (BDD) Project to return to the Rio Grande some of the water it diverts as well as most of the larger sediment particles in the diverted water.

The permit authorizes the BDD to return as much as one-eighth of the diverted water to the river along with particles that are sand-grain size or larger. This sand return system must also comply with several other permits, including the specific requirements of the Final Environmental Impact Statement, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Army Corps of Engineers.

Rick Carpenter, BDD project manager, estimated 20-30 percent of the sediment will consist of sand and larger size particles that are suspended in the flowing Rio Grande water diverted by the BDD.

Sand in diverted water is a traditional problem associated with diversion of water from the Rio Grande. Solutions include the annual ritual shoveling of sand and mud from acequias, and installing features at a diversion to separate the sand and larger particles by gravity and return those particles to the river near the diversion site. The BDD sand return is similar in design, but because the purpose of the water diversion is not agricultural, the NPDES and other permits are required.

Carpenter said, “We are pleased to receive this permit because it is a critical milestone in proceeding with construction of the BDD. Our design includes removal of the larger sand-sized particles at the diversion site, using only gravity, and returning the sand to the river. The BDD NPDES permit recognizes it is better for the environment to avoid having to truck the sediment to the landfill by large dump trucks, over Buckman Road. This permit means that we will we will not have to needlessly shorten the landfill’s lifespan or cause additional dust, diesel fuel consumption or carbon emissions from additional truck traffic.”

Sediment particles smaller than sand, including silt and clay, will be pumped along with the
water to the City/County Water Treatment Plant, where they will be removed from the water. The BDD includes a membrane filtration process, which is the best method available for complete removal of particles. Most contaminants are associated with these smaller sediment particles, and will be completely removed by the Water Treatment Plant for disposal in the Caja del Rio landfill.

The BDD first filed the permit application in April 2006. A public hearing on the permit was held at Santa Fe Community College on January 28, 2008. The NMED issued its state certification of the permit on March 20, 2008. As a result of the comments made at the hearing, received during an extended public comment period, and additional monitoring requirements of the NMED state certification, the EPA made several modifications to the draft permit.

Specifically, the EPA added plutonium-238, plutonium-239, americium 241 and tritium to the list of potential contaminants the BDD staff will be required to monitor the sediment and water for and report on to the EPA; substituted a different, more sensitive analysis method for monitoring PCBs (Polychlorinated biphenyls); required the BDD to measure turbidity (muddiness) of the Rio Grande only on days when it is diverting water from the Rio Grande; and confirmed that use of the U.S. Geological Survey Otowi gauge would provide sufficient flow data for the Rio Grande “upstream” of the diversion. The BDD is located about four miles downstream from that gage in White Rock Canyon.

Mike Sanderson, vice president of engineering and construction at Las Campanas, which will share the BDD diversion facilities with the City of Santa Fe and Santa Fe County, was also pleased with the EPA permit. “We are glad the EPA agreed with the City, County and Las Campanas that this is the best alternative for dealing with the sediment, because the truck route that would have taken the sediment to the landfill would have placed a number of large belly-type dump trucks on our community’s residential streets. Since no chemicals are added to the larger sediment at this stage of its diversion, we believe it simply makes sense to return it to the river.”

The permit, which will be in effect for five years, requires the BDD to monitor the water and sediment for a number of potential contaminants and report the data back to the EPA and the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) on a quarterly or more frequent basis as directed.

Under the permit’s conditions, BDD staff will monitor and report on the water and sediment on a quarterly basis for the first year of operation. Reports will be posted on the EPA’s website as part of its Enforcement & Compliance History Online program (ECHO). Any results that indicate higher-than-allowed concentrations of contaminants that could pose threats to human, animal or aquatic health could trigger the reopening of the permit and a reissuance of the permit with different monitoring and reporting standards.

Any group or individual opposed to the permit has 30 days to file an appeal. If no appeals are filed, the permit will take effect on December 1, 2008 and expire on November 30, 2013.

Copies of the EPA permit, and Comments to the EPA Draft permit and the NMED permit certification are posted at the Buckman Direct Diversion Project website — www.bddproject.org – under the BDD Construction section, in the area marked “other permits.”

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.