News & Opinions
News
February 5, 2010
Santa Fe – The House Committee on Agriculture and Water Resources unanimously passed HM 21, sponsored by Representative Brian Egolf, formally requesting the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) to implement a formal Memorandum of Agreement with the Buckman Direct Diversion Board to address specifics of an early warning notification system.
News
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.
News
January 29, 2010
Santa Fe –Since construction began on the Buckman Direct Diversion (BDD) Project in September 2008, approximately 791 different individuals have applied for jobs through the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions, according to information from CH2M HILL/Western Summit Constructors, the BDD Project contractor.
News
January 8, 2010
The Buckman Direct Diversion (BDD) Project Board has elected Rebecca Wurzburger, Mayor Pro Tem and Santa Fe City Councilor, District 2, as chair and Virginia Vigil, Santa Fe County Commissioner, District 2, as vice-chair for the 2010 calendar year. This will be Wurzburger’s third term as chair of the BDD Board and Vigil’s second term as vice-chair.
News
Public Input Requested
January 4, 2010
The Buckman Direct Diversion (BDD) Project Board will host a public meeting to introduce the Independent Peer Review effort recently initiated by ChemRisk, LLC (ChemRisk), a national leader in the investigation of historical operations at U.S. Nuclear weapons plants. As the Independent Peer Reviewer, ChemRisk will provide an accurate, thorough, independent and transparent critique for area residents describing their potential exposure from LANL-origin contaminants that could possibly reach the Rio Grande. ChemRisk will review existing data, information, studies and published risk analyses using the National Academy of Science protocols to develop a report focusing on the tap water pathway including Rio Grande water diverted by the BDD Project and also compare this risk to risks of other public exposure pathways including LANL-origin contaminants and natural and man-made radiation exposures.
News
BDD Board Supports NMED's $960,000 Penalty and Call to Action
November 23, 2009
The Buckman Direct Diversion Board (BDD) 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.
News
Buckman Direct Diversion Board Approves Contract with Independent Peer Reviewer
November 6, 2009
The Buckman Direct Diversion (BDD) Project Board yesterday approved a $200,000 contract with ChemRisk, LLC to provide an “efficient, effective, and transparent” independent peer review. Under the one-year contract, ChemRisk will review existing data, information, studies and published risk analyses to develop a report for area residents describing their potential exposure from LANL-origin contaminants that could possibly reach the Rio Grande.
News
One
Year After Groundbreaking, BDD Project Construction On Budget And On
Schedule
September 9, 2009
Santa Fe – Nearly one year after ground was broken on the Buckman Direct Diversion (BDD) Project, the project is within budget and construction is on schedule.
News
June 22, 2009
Santa Fe – U.S. Department of Energy and Los Alamos National Laboratory (DOE and LANL) representatives have reached conceptual agreement with Buckman Direct Diversion (BDD) Project representatives regarding an Independent Peer Review.
News
June 17, 2009
BDD Contractor Joins BLM to Clean Up Recreational Area
Santa Fe – CH2M HILL/Western Summit Constructors Joint Venture, the contractor for the Buckman Direct Diversion (BDD) Project, joined the Santa Fe Field Office of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on May 30 to clean up several acres of BLM-administered land near the BDD construction area that had become an unofficial “large item” waste dump.
News
June 4, 2009
New Mexico Water Trust Board Awards $4 Million To Buckman Direct Diversion Project
Santa Fe – The New Mexico Water Trust Board (WTB) has voted to award $4.0 million in State financing for construction of the Buckman Direct Diversion (BDD) Project. The BDD Project is building infrastructure to provide the Santa Fe region with a drinking water supply from the Rio Grande.
News
May 28, 2009
Water Shutoff Planned for Monday, June 1
The City of Santa Fe Water Division,
in coordination with ERS Constructors, will be installing a new water main
line connection near the intersection of Airport Road and Veterans Memorial
Highway (NM 599) on Monday, June 1, from approximately 9 a.m.-1 p.m. The
water shut-off location is north of Airport Road and west of Memorial Highway
(NM 599), and will impact customers west of NM 599 on Paseo Real, Paseo de
River, Huey Road, Aviation Drive, and Colony Drive.
Click
here for more information
News
April
19, 2009
Santa Fe – To protect the endangered Southwestern Willow Flycatcher, the Buckman Direct Diversion (BDD) Project will temporarily halt construction activities at and near the Rio Grande from April 15th – June 30th of each year during the birds’ spring migration. Instead, the contractor will focus efforts on other areas of construction within the BDD Project.
News
April 15, 2009
Buckman
Direct Diversion Project Temporary Closures and Delays on Buckman Road
April 20 - May 15, 2009; Motorists Asked to Seek Alternate Routes if Possible
April 20 to May 15, 2009 (weather permitting) – Temporary and extended delays lasting from a few minutes to a several hours will be required from April 20 to May 15, 2009 to allow crews to lay pipeline on (Old) Buckman Road (CR-77) between Dead Dog Well (near the old green windmill) and the old Buckman Town Site.
News
March 18, 2009
The New Mexico House of Representatives Energy and Natural Resource Committee passed a memorial sponsored by Representative Brian Egolf urging the National Nuclear Security Administration of the U.S. Department of Energy to actively work with the Buckman Direct Diversion Board and the Los Alamos National Laboratory to ensure the safety of Santa Fe’s drinking water. For a copy of the memorial, click here. For a copy of BDD Board Chair Virginia Vigil’s comments on the memorial, click here.
NEWS
March 16, 2009
US Environmental Protection Agency and the New Mexico Environment Department Combined Regulations Will Help Achieve Two of Six Action Steps BDD Board Requested LANL Perform
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) separately issued explicit new mandates to reduce storm water transport of contaminated sediments from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) down Los Alamos Canyon to the Rio Grande.
News
February 27, 2009
Signage, snow fencing and barricades to alert recreational users about the BDD construction are now underway. With spring and summer approaching, the Buckman Direct Diversion (BDD) Board and the BDD contractor, CH2M HILL/Western Summit Constructors Joint Venture, are reminding the public who use the BDD construction area for recreation to be careful, particularly when they are in the area of Buckman Road or the old Buckman town site. The contractor has been and is continuing to install signage, barricades and snow fencing to alert users of the public land that there is construction going on, but everyone should be cautious.
Contact: Patti Watson – 1-800-687-3417/505-269-9691 cell
News
February 18, 2009
Crews laying pipeline along roads which provide access to golf course, recreational complex and Caja del Rio Road
Construction of the Buckman Direct Diversion Project is proceeding in a number of areas and is on schedule, according to Rick Carpenter, BDD Project Manager. “Crews have been very busy and will continue to lay pipeline along some major roadways in the area, including the I-25 westbound frontage road just south of NM 599 and NM 599 near the I-25 Frontage Road at Paseo de River Street and the Santa Fe River,” Carpenter said.
Contact: Patti Watson – 1-800-687-3417/505-269-9691 cell
News
February 5, 2009
UNM Study Finds Buckman Direct Diversion
Project will Inject $287.2 Million into Regional Economy During Construction
BDD Project Predicted To Add 83 Professional Service Jobs
and Sustain 600 Construction Jobs
A study by the University of New Mexico Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER) estimated construction of the Buckman Direct Diversion (BDD) Project will inject $287.2 million in net economic benefits to the regional economy through the completion of construction in 2011 and will generate and sustain more than 500 jobs per year during the same period.
Contact: Patti Watson – 1-800-687-3417/505-269-9691 cell
OPINION
February 1, 2009
Understanding Rio Grande Water Quality & Associated
Public Risks from LANL Legacy Contaminants
By: Rick Carpenter, BDD Project Manager
The Board and Staff of the Buckman Direct Diversion Project agree that LANL
legacy contamination, and how it relates to the BDD and drinking water, are
important concerns for us and for many community members. It is reasonable
for the community to be concerned about the possibility of having LANL contaminants
in its drinking water.
News
January 30, 2009
Environment
Department Confirms High Levels of Radionuclides in LANL Storm Water and
Suspended Sediment Elements Observed Do Not Pose Immediate Health Threat
but Do Indicate Importance of Cleanup
Santa Fe — The New Mexico Environment Department has confirmed that
sediment and storm water within a Los Alamos National Laboratory watershed
last year during a flooding event contained plutonium-238, plutonium-239/240,
americium-241 and strontium-90 at elevated levels. Department investigators
measured elevated radionuclides resulting from one large potable water spill
as well as several storm events that occurred in Los Alamos/Pueblo Canyon
during July and August.
NEWS
November 7, 2008
Buckman Direct Diversion Project
Receives Major Permit:
EPA Authorizes BDD to Return Some Sediment to the Rio Grande at the Diversion
Site
Santa Fe — The Environment 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.
Read Press Release »
OPINION
Letter to the Editor – November 18, 2008
The Cost of Maintaining Our Water Supply
By |
Mayor David Coss |
And |
Rosemary Romero |
And |
Chris Calvert |
In response to William Water’s editorial which ran in the November
10, 2008 edition of the Santa Fe New Mexican, “Our View -
Santa Fe Too Expensive? You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet,” we
would like to correct some assumptions regarding the Buckman Direct Diversion
(BDD) Project and the proposed water rate increase.
Read Article »
NEWS
October 1, 2008
Santa Fe — The Buckman Direct Diversion (BDD) Board supports more stringent water quality standards for the Rio Grande near Santa Fe and Los Alamos proposed by the New Mexico Environment Department’s (NMED) Triennial Review of Water Quality Standards. The BDD Board supports the proposed standards for plutonium, americium and tritium, which have been released historically from Los Alamos National Laboratory into the canyons that drain the LANL property. The BDD Board requests NMED consider setting standards and regulations for other radionuclides and toxins of LANL origin that may reach the Rio Grande.
Contact: Lynn Pitcher Komer – 505-660-7682
NEWS
September 29, 2008
Santa Fe — The New Mexico Environment Department recently completed a report that indicates planned construction activities for the Buckman Direct Diversion are unlikely to disturb sediments containing legacy contaminants from Los Alamos National Laboratory. The report identifies legacy contaminants in sediments near but not within construction of the diversion project.
Opinion
September 24, 2008
Buckman Direct Diversion Will Make LANL Accountable for Water Safety
By Virginia Vigil, Co-Chair
Buckman Direct Diversion Board
Santa Fe County Commission Chair
In response to Shannyn Sollitt’s opinion piece which ran in the September 14, 2008 edition of the Santa Fe New Mexican, “Make LANL accountable for our water’s safety,” we appreciate Ms. Sollitt’s acknowledgement that the BDD Board and staff “are doing their level best to protect the citizens from the contamination from the laboratory.” However, we need to emphasize that Ms. Sollitt is incorrect in assuming that the new City/County water treatment plant may not be effective. It will be.
NEWS
September 10, 2008
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
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.
Opinion
September 4, 2008
Water Quality is THE Focus of the Buckman Direct Diversion Project
By Rebecca Wurzburger, Chair
Buckman Direct Diversion Board
Santa Fe City Councilor, District 2
The Buckman Direct Diversion (BDD) Board thanks all community members who provided valuable input regarding water quality issues at the Town Hall on August 26, 2008. The BDD Board is dedicated to ensuring customer confidence and welcomes the opportunity to exchange ideas and information regarding this much-needed public project.
NEWS
July 11, 2008
Agency is Second to Uphold NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) Process and Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Buckman Direct Diversion Project
Santa Fe — Yesterday the Interior Board of Land Appeals (IBLA) of the U.S. Department of the Interior affirmed the Bureau of Land Management’s decision to grant the rights-of-way across federal lands for the Buckman Direct Diversion Project.
NEWS
May 1, 2008
U.S. Forest Service Affirms Record
of Decision on Buckman Direct Diversion Project
Project Moves One Step Closer to Completion of NEPA Process
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.
Contact: Patti Watson – 1-800-687-3417/505-269-9691 cell
Opinion
March 13, 2008
Clarifying the Role of the Buckman Direct Diversion Project in Our Water Supply Future
By Rebecca Wurzburger, Chair
Buckman Direct Diversion Board
Santa Fe City Councilor, District 2
Recently, the Buckman Direct Diversion (BDD) Board signed a $180.9 million contract for design and construction of the project with the Design Build (DB) team of CH2M Hill and Western Summit Joint Venture.
NEWS
March 6, 2008
Buckman Direct Diversion Project
Signs Contract with Design Build Construction Team
Selection of CH2M Hill & Western Summit Constructors
Ensures Solid Expertise and New Mexico Commitment
Santa Fe — The Buckman Direct Diversion (BDD) Board yesterday signed a $180.9 million contract with the Design Build (DB) team of CH2M Hill/Western Summit Constructors Joint Venture. Under the contract, the DB team will be responsible for completing design and constructing all of the BDD facilities, including a diversion structure on the Rio Grande, a raw water lift station, a sand removal facility, 11 miles of raw water pipelines, two booster stations to pump/lift the water approximately 1,100 vertical feet, the water treatment plant and related facilities, two new treated water pump stations and 15 miles of finished water pipelines connected to the City and County water distribution systems.
NEWS
February 11, 2008
Buckman Direct Diversion Project
Marks Milestone with Publishing of Record of Decision
U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Bureau of Land Management
Approve BDD as “Selected Alternative”
The Buckman Direct Diversion (BDD) Project today marked an important milestone – completion of one of the most important federal approvals necessary to build the project. The Record of Decision (ROD) for the project was issued by the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
Opinion
January 2008
You Can Drink Our Water with Confidence
By Harry Montoya, Chair, and Rebecca Wurzburger
You can turn on the tap and confidently fill a glass with drinking water.
Our drinking water meets all applicable standards now, and we will continue
to make sure that our drinking water meets these standards in the future.
Read Article »