BDD News
News Releases
For Immediate Release—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 More »
For Immediate Release—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.
Read More »
For Immediate Release—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.
For Immediate Release—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.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—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.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—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.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—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.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—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.
Read
More »
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—November 5, 2007
BDD sends formal request to LANL asking commitment and funding to address concerns
SANTA
FE — Today Harry Montoya, chair of the Buckman Direct Diversion
(BDD) Project Board, sent a formal letter to Susan Stiger, associate director
for environmental programs, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and George
Rael, assistant manager for environmental programs, National Nuclear Security
Administration, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), asking LANL to take six specific
action steps in response to three areas of concern discussed at the BDD Board
meeting in October 2007. The Board directed BDD staff to prepare the
letter at that meeting.
Read more »
For Immediate Release—August 23, 2007
BUCKMAN DIRECT DIVERSION PROJECT RESPONDS
TO CONCERNS OF RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINANTS ISSUES
Rio Grande water that will be treated and provided to residents for
drinking will meet all drinking water standards
Santa Fe, NM October 13, 2006