EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Sunland Park City Council voted unanimously to create a City utility department that Camino Real Regional Utility Authority (CRRUA) will transition into, and the allocation of $1.2 million to fund three water improvement projects.
The utility announced on Wednesday evening, June 4, in a news release.
As we’ve previously reported, the transition comes after Doña Ana County decided to terminate the Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) with the COSP that created CRRUA.
“The City Council and I are working proactively and quickly to establish the mechanisms needed for CRRUA to become a City department so that when the JPA is dissolved, CRRUA can transition into the utility department seamlessly and without service disruption,” said Sunland Park Mayor Javier Perea.
According to CRRUA, the board also approved to form an internal team to handle CRRUA’s transition from joint ownership to a City department and a new community coordinator position responsible in part for participating in the water and wastewater transition plan.
Along with creating the City utility department, $1.2 million will be used immediately to fund three water improvement projects that will “enhance water service to the community.”
The projects are sediment removal and rehabilitation of the Anapra, Meadow Vista, and Tierra Madre water tanks, CRRUA said.
“These projects will help reduce incidents of discolored water caused by sediment buildup in the water tanks,” CRRUA executive director Juan Crosby said. “The sediment is primarily composed of the naturally occurring minerals iron and manganese. When the sediment is disturbed by water flow, it can enter the distribution system, causing discoloration. By removing sediment from the tanks, we will help eliminate discolored water throughout the system.”
“Now that the funding is approved, CRRUA can move forward with scheduling the sediment removal that will likely occur in the fall and winter months when water demand is reduced,” Crosby said.
“In addition to the water tanks projects, the COSP will identify other critical water and wastewater infrastructure priorities resulting from deferred maintenance, along with funding opportunities, development agreements, and revenue streams that will address capacity improvements and expansion,” Perea said.
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