<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0dwhtX_0vmLhfzF00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0dwhtX_0vmLhfzF00" width="1600" height="1066" ><figcaption>Aztec officials walk on the catwalk to see the water flow into Reservoir 1 on Wednesday.</figcaption></figure>Aztec officials and Natural Resources Trustee Maggie Hart Stebbins on Wednesday celebrated the completion of Reservoir 1, the city’s primary water storage facility, by opening a valve to release the water into the reservoir, which that had been out of use since 2020.Mayor Mike Padilla opened the proceedings at Reservoir 1, east of the Aztec water treatment plant, 201 Navajo Dam Road, about 1:30 p.m. City officials consider the $4.45 million project a major accomplishment.“First of all, I’d like to thank everybody for coming today. This is a huge accomplishment for our community,” he said.He said they approached the city manager in 2020 about repairing or renovating Reservoir 1 after it had been drained, dredged, cleaned and refilled in late 2018 and early 2019. It had accumulated 8 to 10 feet of sediment since its construction in 1947 and was showing signs of leakage.“We were very fortunate to have our legislative partners, our senators, our local Congress people get behind it and help us push this forward,” said Padilla.“Mayor Pro Tem Ken George got right behind me and pushed and pushed as I did to get this thing going, because it's vital for constituents and for the people,” he said.This is Phase 2 of the project, but more must be done Padilla said.He thanked City Manager Jeff Blackburn, his staff and other supporters.“What you see behind me today is not at all what it looked like five or six years ago,” Padilla said. “Sychar LLC, guys, you did a wonderful job … I’m very proud that the city of Aztec partnered with you to get this project done.”Padilla traced the history of the reservoir before asking other officials to speak.Reservoir 1 history• City of Aztec Drinking Water Reservoir 1 was completed in 1947.• Goes into service as a surface containment for drinking water in 1951.• Is active for the next 66 years, including as a crucial source of water storage for the city through the Gold King Mine release of 2015.• Reservoir 1 is drained in November 2017, and is found to have accumulated 8-10 feet of sediment since 1947.• Reservoir 1 is dredged and cleaned in late 2018 and early 2019, then refilled.• Reservoir 1 shows significant leakage, is drained and remains empty for four years.• In spring 2023, the Aztec ditch is lined with concrete to prevent water infiltration (Phase 1).• In February 2024, Phase 2 construction begins.Maggie Hart Stebbins, New Mexico Office of Natural Resources trustee, said, “we are thrilled to be here today. This is so exciting. I'm sure nobody here has forgotten the Gold King Mine release from 2015 and the toxic metals and the injuries that resulted to the communities along the Animas and San Juan (rivers).Following the litigation and settlement of those cases $13 million came to her office, Stebbins said.“We reached out to the communities, we got several proposals, and this was one of them. We chose this for funding because it, you know, really will have an impact on the people who live here,” she said.Thanking everybody who made the project possible, Stebbins said, “You know, we could not have hoped for a better way to spend this money.”Aztec city manager Jeff Blackburn welcomed and thanked everyone for attending the dedication. He also thanked the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer, the New Mexico Office of Natural Resources, Sychar LLC, Bohannan and Huston and DTF Engineering.“So without further ado, unless someone else would like to speak … we're going to walk out onto the gangplank there, and then each person is going to dive, no,” Blackburn said to spontaneous laughter.Ruben Salcido, public works director, explained that 2 feet of sand in the reservoir serves two purposes.“It acts as a weight so that the groundwater underneath it doesn't push the liner up. And number two, it acts as a layer … so when you're cleaning it for maintenance purposes … the contractor who's cleaning it won't go below the sand,” Salcido said.The embedded concrete piers serve as markers, signaling the contractor not to go deeper and damage the liner, he said.Jeric Jaramillo, city project manager, stated in an email that the project was fully funded by grants, with no outlay from the city.“The total design storage capacity of the reservoir is 7.2 million gallons,” he said, and would take up to four weeks to fill, depending on water supply and demand.</div></body>

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City of Aztec dedicates Reservoir 1

Aztec officials and Natural Resources Trustee Maggie Hart Stebbins on Wednesday celebrated the completion of Reservoir 1, the city’s primary water storage facility, by opening a valve to release the water into the reservoir, which that had been out of use since 2020. Mayor Mike Padilla opened the proceedings...