Urijah Reyes Thiago Man Martinez, 8, holds up a trout he caught Friday, May 6, 2022, at Storrie Lake, as the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon fire rages behind him. He and an elderly relative wore their masks to protect from smoke particles. The city of Las Vegas will be getting $98 million to restore the city's water treatment facilities. (Photo by Patrick Lohmann / Source NM)
The town of Las Vegas will soon receive $98 million to replace its water treatment facilities damaged more than two years ago in the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire, officials announced Tuesday afternoon.
The April 2022 wildfire, which is the biggest in state history, caused debris flows and floods that polluted the city’s reservoirs. It also turned the Gallinas River black for a short period as it trickled under a bridge into the town of 12,000. Congress approved nearly $4 billion to compensate families, businesses and governments for their losses in the fire, caused by two botched federal prescribed burns.
Included in the $3.95 billion appropriation was $140 million specifically for the City of Las Vegas to repair its water systems. At a special City Council meeting Tuesday, the city and the federal claims office overseeing the compensation fund inked a “memorandum of agreement” that allows the city to receive what it calls the “first installment” toward fixing its water problems.
Post-fire flooding has occurred in and around the burn scar, often flowing into the city’s drinking water supply, repeatedly since the fires.
A huge flood event June 21 caused major infrastructure damage and prompted the city to place water restrictions on households and local businesses, including car washes and laundromats. The last of those restrictions was lifted a week ago.
After the June 21 floods, town officials said they recognized the “severity and complexity” of the adopted a “new approach” to the city’s water challenges, based on recommendations from the Sulzer Group, a consulting firm the city hired.
“While the original plan concentrated mainly on the need of water treatment facilities, the current administration recognized the necessity of broadening their strategy,” according to the news release from the City of Las Vegas. “This expanded approach now includes not only the repair and upgrading of infrastructure but also a comprehensive reassessment of emergency response protocols, flood management systems, and community resilience measures.”
‘A significant milestone’
Previous water restrictions have required restaurants to serve food on plastic plates and water in bottles. Residents have regularly received notices in their mailboxes about potential contaminants in the water supply. At one point in summer 2022, the city had only a couple weeks of water left.
Las Vegas Mayor David Romero did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday afternoon, but he said in a news release that Tuesday was a “significant milestone for the City of Las Vegas and its future in water sustainability.”
In February 2023, the city received $2.6 million to pay for engineering reports related to the water system.
The memorandum signed in the small town on Tuesday authorized the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is overseeing the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Claims Office, to pay $98 million to the city. That is the most-recent estimate for costs to replace water treatment facilities and systems, though it notes that “additional funding may be required” as designs are completed and construction begins.
The city is required to submit a scope of work and ensure that all payments go solely to the water treatment problem. The city and the federal claims office will also begin meeting every 30 days, according to the memorandum.
It’s not clear from the memorandum when the process could be completed or how much work has already been done to complete the project, but it lays out a 12-month planning phase, a 23-month design phase, a 3-month bid phase and a 34-month construction phase. That totals six years.
Jay Mitchell, director of the FEMA claims office overseeing the nearly $4 billion compensation fund, said in the news release Tuesday that the funding will help the city build a sustainable and effective solution to the city’s long-term water needs.
“ The project will provide access to clean, safe drinking water to the City of Las Vegas — an achievement that is crucial for the health and well-being of its residents,” Mitchell said. “It is gratifying to see this initiative progressing.”
Most Popular
Comments / 0