On Friday, members from the Doña Ana Board of County Commissioners held a news conference in in Santa Teresa to provide updates on the County’s termination of the joint powers agreement that created CCRUA.
The news conference was held at the Jetport Fire Station in Santa Teresa, and featured Doña Ana County District 1 Commissioner Chair Christopher Shaljo-Hernandez; District 2 Commissioner Gloria Gameros; County Manager Scott Andrews; and Assistant County Manager Stephen Lopez. The purpose was to give updates on, and explain the actions of, the BOCC’s unanimous vote on May 13 to direct the county to begin the process of severing the joint powers agreement with the Camino Real Regional Utility Authority, or CCRUA, after numerous complaints from residents in Santa Teresa and Sunland Park about the water. County Manager Andrews emphasized that the news conference was not just about water.
“It’s about trust,” Andrews said. “For too long, residents and businesses, especially in and around Sunland Park, have faced real and ongoing challenges with water service. Many have voiced frustrations—and quite frankly, many of those frustrations are valid.”
Andrews stressed that the decision by the commissioners to sever the joint powers agreement with CCRUA was not one taken lightly, and was the beginning of a legal and procedural transition. For now, however, CCRUA will continue managing the water during the transition process.
“CCRUA will continue to manage water and wastewater services for Sunland Park, and the southern portion of our county, for the time being,” said Andrews. “We do not anticipate any immediate disruptions at all. What we are doing now is building the runway for long-term improvements. These are steps towards a system that is safer, clearer, and more responsive to the needs of our community.”
Commissioner Chair Shaljo-Hernandez said that as part of the county’s commitment to improving water and wastewater services, a comprehensive engineering evaluation of CCRUA’s assets will take place, which will include an assessment of the infrastructure currently in place such as pipes.
“This is a key step in ensuring that our water system can provide reliable, high-quality services for many, many years to come,” said Shaljo-Hernandez. “The process ahead will require effort from us all, but we are focused on achieving results.”
District 2 Commissioner Gameros, who is also on the CCRUA board of directors, focused on improved resident involvement, and acknowledged residents’ ongoing issues with the water.
“We understand that some of the immediate concerns, such as water quality issues, or discoloration, have caused discomfort for residents,” Gameros said. “As we work into the long-term transition, we will also look for opportunities to address immediate needs that can help alleviate some of these concerns.”
Commissioner Gameros went on to list such opportunities being explored, such as setting up a call center for customers both in English and Spanish; a customer feedback form on the county’s website; and the potential for bottle filling stations in key areas.
“These stations can help provide residents with access to clean, safe drinking water, especially for those who may be temporarily impacted by temporary water quality issues while the transition is underway,” she said.
During the Q&A afterwards, Assistant County Manager Stephen Lopez was asked about the impact the severing of the JPA would have not only on residential customers, but on commercial customers as well.
“There has absolutely been an impact to the commercial customers,” Lopez said. “There are commercial customers who can’t get as much water as they need to carry on their processes, so they’re actually having to go to private well owners to supplement. There are concerns about water quality at some of the industrial facilities as well. So those will absolutely be high up on our list, right there with the residential customers, of seeing what the needs are, what the system capacity is, and how we might be able to meet all of it.”
Earlier before the news conference, Assistant County Manager Lopez discussed a meeting that took place that morning between the county, the city of Sunland Park, and CCRUA, the first meeting between the three since the May 13th vote to sever the joint powers agreement.
“It was a great meeting,” said Lopez. “Everybody seems to be on the same page: that our number one priority is making sure that there is good, high-quality water and wastewater for our residences and our businesses.”
According to Lopez, the process is expected to take about four years to complete.
“So this is a four-year, by the terms of the JPA process, of identifying what the end result is gonna look like,” said Lopez. “Right now it’s wide open. We don’t have any idea of what it will look like in the end, but we are looking at a firm to do an asset review, figure out what’s out there, and what our highest priority needs are.”
The county and CCRUA will meet again on Tuesday, May 27, to talk more about next steps.
