City of Santa Fe thinks about proposing water rate increase
“It’s something that we absolutely have to do now.” The City of Santa Fe, New Mexico, is considering a 3% increase in water rates for residents due to major infrastructure projects. This is the first time the city has considered such a proposal in a decade. The proposed increase would help cover four major water facility projects, including maintenance work on two of the city's large dams, repairs to a city water treatment plant, and a new water recycling project. The total cost to complete these projects is estimated to be around $100 million. If approved by the city council, the increase could impact bills by July next year.
Được phát hành : 3 tuần trước qua Chandler Farnsworth trong Environment
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Major infrastructure projects are pressuring the City of Santa Fe’s Public Utilities Department to increase water rates for residents. It’s the first time in a decade the city has tossed around the idea of water rate hikes.
City officials said they plan to propose a 3% increase to the city councilors this month.
“It’s something that we absolutely have to do now,” said Santa Fe Public Utilities Department Water Division Director Jesse Roach.
Officials said the increase would help to cover four multi-million-dollar water facility projects. The projects listed include doing maintenance work on two of the city’s large dams, making repairs to a city water treatment plant, and starting a new water recycling project. The total cost to complete these projects is estimated to be around $100 million.
“They’re high-hazard dams, and so, this rehabilitation is not something we can put on the back burner,” explained Santa Fe Public Utilities Dept. Director John Dupuis. “We just happened to have multiple large facilities in that life-cycle chain that are all coming to need some significant investment at the same time.”
Officials said the water recycling idea will make up about half of the $100 million needed for all four projects. However, they claimed to have already secured a quarter of a million dollars through federal grant money.
“We think [it] will help us stretch our water from the Rio Grande by three times, so that is a key project for us,” Roach added.
If approved by the city council, residents could see the increase impact their bills as soon as July next year.
Chủ đề: Environment-ESG