The Proposed Turquoise Trail Bulk Water Transfer Station

The San Marcos Association (SMA) is providing this information to the community to help our neighbors understand some of the details and context for this project. Santa Fe County is proposing to build the Turquoise Trail Bulk Water Transfer Station, for residential use only, on a 5 acre plot of land immediately north of the Turquoise Trail Volunteer Fire Station. This land will be donated to the County by the Rancho Viejo Partnership. The County Public Works Department reports monthly to the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) as to the progress of each of its projects. Below is their June 2024 report (the most recent report available) concerning this project.

From June 2024 Monthly Report – Santa Fe County Public Works Department

 

Bulk Water Turquoise Trail
District 5, Project #1436

 

• Project Manager: Mike Hart
• Project Budget: $ 1,850,000.00
• Project Scope: Tie in to existing County water line at Turquoise Trail Elementary School and install 2.3 miles of waterline to connect TT Fire Station and design a Flow Point Bulk Water Station, which will be installed as part of scope.
Will receive donation of property from Rancho Viejo Inc.
• Procurement: SFC for on call surveying/ CES for design services
• Contractors: Wilson & Co. for design work • Projected Substantial Completion Date: TBD
• Current Project Status: Design submitted a change to design for a PRV. NMDOT permit to work in the ROW is being finished along with the 100% construction documents. Project is set to bid in July once the IFB process is opened back up. $1,000,000.00 of additional funding will be needed as the length doubled. NMDOT Permits will be acquired this month and go out to bid in July.

 

SMA’s understanding is that the County has proposed this project in part to alleviate the frustrations of residential users at the Ojo de Agua Bulk Water Station (at the prison) who frequently were forced to wait behind commercial vehicles. The Turquoise Trail Bulk Water Station would be dedicated for Residential Users only.

This satellite view shows the location of the proposed water station.

Access to the site will be from Turquoise Trail Court as indicated in the general site plan provided to SMA by County staff.

(FULL SIZE FILE – PDF DOWNLOAD) General Site Plan

For comparison, we note the following facts about the existing Ojo de Agua Bulk Water Transfer Station (at the Penitentiary). These data come from spreadsheets provided by Santa Fe County.

• In 2023, the Ojo de Agua station dispersed 15,529,571 gallons of water to residential and commercial users.
   – 6,923,375 gallons – Residential -Or 21.25 acre-feet
  – 8,606,196 gallons – Commercial -Or 26.41 acre-feet
  
• In 2023, the average Residential Load was 356 gallons
  
• In 2023, the average Commercial Load was 1529 gallons
  
• In 2023, there were, on average, 53 daily Residential Transactions – an indication of residential truck traffic
  –  The hot months of June-July-August (2023) averaged 90 daily Residential Transactions
  
• In 2023, there were, on average, 9 daily Commercial Transactions annually
   –  During the hot months, an average of 25 daily Commercial Transactions
  
• Costs: Residential users pay $0.01/gallon; Commercial users pay $0.02/gallon
  
• The water at Ojo de Agua comes from the Buckman Diversion facility – i.e. the Rio Grande, not County wells
  
• Water at Ojo de Agua is potable water
• The pipeline supplying this water ends at the Turquoise Trail Charter School. It would be extended some 2.3 miles to the Turquoise Trail Bulk Water Station.

Land for the Turquoise Trail Bulk Water Station will be donated to the County by the Rancho Viejo Partnership. This arrangement has yet to be finalized and is the subject of a BCC Agenda item (Item 6E) on their regularly scheduled August 13 BCC meeting. Some details are outlined below.

• The water line itself will run through HWY 14 rights of way, but the Bulk Water Station will be located on 5.01 acres of land donated to the County.
• The Rancho Viejo Partnership currently owns some 207 acres of land east of HWY 14 from the southern edge of Rancho San Marcos to the northern property line of the Volunteer Fire Station. 5.01 of those acres would be donated.
• This land is zoned as either Rural-fringe, or Rural.
• In exchange for the donation of just over 5 acres to the County, the Rancho Viejo Partnership will receive 5 water taps, tapping into the 2.3 mile pipeline running alongside their parcels.
• Those taps, County staff have stated, are intended to be used for those immediate properties, for residential use should those parcels be developed one day, and are not accessible for use in any other Rancho Viejo properties.

The San Marcos Association has been watching this project for over a year – from its early vision to its current status. From early on, SMA has advocated with County staff that they host a public meeting to inform the community about this project. Staff have informed us that, pursuant to the Sustainable Land Development Code (SLDC) and other regulations, no public meeting is required. We at SMA have pointed out that such a meeting would be an excellent opportunity for the County to inform its residents about things they are doing that could positively affect their lives. The San Marcos Association will continue to advocate for such a meeting.

Additionally, SMA has been concerned in general about traffic safety at the HWY 14-Bonanza Creek-Shenandoah (HWY 14/CR 44-45) intersection. We have been asking that the County host a public meeting to discuss community concerns and to hear suggestions for making that intersection safer since last Fall. We have also been strongly suggesting that the County consider traffic safety in designing this Bulk Water station as is it reasonable to expect increased truck traffic – i.e. trucks and trucks hauling water-filled trailers – entering onto HWY 14 from Turquoise Trail Court once the station is operating – only half a mile from the dangerous HWY 14/CR 44-45 intersection. The majority of those vehicles would be turning left (i.e. south) onto a roadway with, currently, a 55-mph speed limit. So, we have strongly suggested the County work with NMDOT (HWY 14 is a state highway – the County has no control over it) as part of the bulk water station design process to make the entire area safer.

The San Marcos Association hopes this information is useful. If you have any questions or suggestions, please send us an email:
We value your input and your ideas as we work together to make the area safer and to maintain the quality of life here that we all value.