New Challenge to Completion of Big Ute Pipeline Project Now in Court

A much-anticipated lawsuit has been filed in the Quay County District Court designed to put a halt to the continued building of a massive pipeline that will transport water from the Ute Lake to Cannon Air Force Base, among other places.

The action is being undertaken primarily by Quay County and the Village of Logan and claims that complete funding for the big project spearheaded by the Eastern New Mexico Rural Water Authority is not secured, and until it is, work on the project should be put off.

Being built in phases, the project saw work launched in August of 2023 on just over 15 miles of pipe owing to a combination of federal, state, and local funding. Securing new funding through the Infrastructure and Jobs Act, said Clovis Mayor Mike Morris at the time, meant that “we are now in a position where we could complete this project by 2029.”

The ENMRWA project altogether comprises some 130 miles of pipeline supplying water to the Cannon base as well as the cities and towns of Clovis, Elida, Portales, and Texico.

The lawsuit is particularly focusing on the building of a water treatment plant, whose design change has increased that facility’s overall costs from $203 million to just over double that amount. To adequately complete the project, contends the lawsuit, ENMRWA need at least another $600 million.

In a statement jointly released by Quay County and the Village of Logan, it is noteworthy that nearly 20 area landowners along the proposed pipeline route have joined the suit to stop the project, which would also mean stopping the “taking of their property through eminent domain.”

It is not yet known when the Quay County District Court may issue a ruling in the matter.

December 2, 2024

Photo courtesy of Unsplash

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