The Sunland Park City Council voted Wednesday to allocate $1.2 million to fund three immediate water improvement projects with the goal of enhancing service across the community, according to a news release. The projects include sediment removal and rehabilitation of the Anapra, Meadow Vista, and Tierra Madre water tanks.
“These projects will help reduce incidents of discolored water caused by sediment buildup in the water tanks,” said CRRUA Executive Director Juan Crosby. “The sediment is primarily composed of the naturally occurring minerals iron and manganese. When disturbed by water flow, it can enter the distribution system and cause discoloration. By removing the sediment, we will help eliminate this issue across the system.” Crosby added that discolored water resulting from this action continues to meet state and federal drinking water standards.
The City Council also authorized the establishment of a new City utility department. This action comes in response to Doña Ana County’s decision on May 13 to terminate the Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) that formed CRRUA.
“The City Council and I are working proactively and quickly to establish the mechanisms needed to create a City utility department so that, when the JPA is dissolved, operations can continue seamlessly and without service disruption,” said Sunland Park Mayor Javier Perea. “In addition to the tank improvements, the City will also identify other critical water and wastewater infrastructure priorities tied to deferred maintenance. We’re focused on securing funding, development agreements, and sustainable revenue streams that support capacity upgrades and long-term system expansion.”
“As a City department, CRRUA will have access to more City resources, immediate staffing support, and grant funding assistance for capital infrastructure investments—all of which will help enhance operations to better serve our customers,” said Mario Juarez-Infante, City Manager of Sunland Park and Vice-Chair of CRRUA.
The Council also approved the formation of an internal transition team to oversee CRRUA’s shift from joint governance to City operations, as well as the creation of a new Community Coordinator position to help facilitate community outreach and engagement throughout the transition process.