Editor’s note: The amended agreement with Niagara was removed from the Jan. 25 Los Lunas Council agenda. The item is scheduled to appear on the next council agenda in February.
LOS LUNAS — The Village of Los Lunas Council will again be considering an amended agreement with Niagara Bottling to allow the company to significantly increase their allotted water usage.
This item was initially tabled at the Dec. 7 council meeting at the request of Councilman Christopher Ortiz so that Dr. Lee Wilson, a hydrologist the council consults with, could provide the council with additional information on the current health of the aquifer.
According to the Jan. 25 council agenda, Wilson will be present at the meeting to also address concerns raised by audience members regarding his August 2022 aquifer study report.
Kathy McCord, a member of Valencia Water Watchers, said the data within the report that the council is using to justify the amended agreement is outdated.
Another VWW member noted, “(The report) completely ignores the effects of the climate crisis and how that will affect the future of the aquifer.”
“If approved, the amended water and wastewater agreement would increase the supply of water to Niagara from 320 AFY to up to 782 AFY,” the agenda stated. In other words, this would be an increase from roughly 104 million gallons per year to 254 million gallons per year.
The water Niagara uses is pumped from a well belonging to the village. The well pulls water from an aquifer stretching from Socorro to Santa Fe that serves all of Valencia County and surrounding areas.
Several audience members, including representatives from the Town of Peralta and the Pueblo of Isleta, expressed concern over how this decision will affect neighboring communities.
“I want to reiterate that the aquifer is not centralized under (Los Lunas),” Peralta Councilor Leon Otero said at the Dec. 7 council meeting. “It’s the whole valley. You pump it here, but you’re taking it from the whole aquifer.”
The amended agreement will be discussed during a public hearing and will be considered by the council at 6 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 25, at village hall, 660 Main St.
Felina Martinez was born and raised in Valencia County. She graduated from the University of New Mexico in 2021. During her time at UNM, she studied interdisciplinary film, digital media and journalism. She covers the village of Los Lunas, Los Lunas Schools, the School of Dreams Academy and the town of Peralta.
691
April 25, 2024
