Las Vegas, NM, approves agreement with FEMA for millions to fix water infrastructure

LAS VEGAS, N.M. (KRQE) – After major floods devasted the City of Las Vegas, New Mexico, in June, city councilors approved an agreement with the federal government to receive much-needed funding for future emergency responses.

“[Make sure we’re] having systems in place that if we endure the same situation that we did on June 21st, that we’re ready to go, and we’re not having to shut down businesses,” said Las Vegas Mayor David Romero. “We’re not having to ask the community to conserve the way we did.”

The $98 million is just a portion of a larger $140 million pot the City of Las Vegas is getting from the federal government.

The process to get the funding was started by the city’s past administration and was earmarked for water treatment plant upgrades. However, with the recent floods, the city is in need of the funds right now to improve preventative emergency systems.

“After the June 21st flooding situation that we had, it brought to light a lot of needs to our system,” said Mayor Romero.

One of the ways the city is looking to use that money is by upgrading its water storage as it awaits the treatment plant upgrades.

“We need more storage tanks to beef up our reserves,” Mayor Romero said. “We know that the treatment plant is going to take upwards of five years to build.”

Mayor Romero said this would help the city during times when there’s limited access to treated water.

Parts of the current water treatment facility date back to about the 1960s, but improvements have been made over the years. With this funding, they hope to make even more.

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“We’re going to continue to improve our facilities, which the water treatment plant, at the end of the day, is the big goal,” Mayor Romero added.

City officials said they’ve signed their portion of the agreement and are waiting for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to sign theirs.

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