Around 14 additional miles of a new water pipeline are poised for construction in eastern New Mexico, funded primarily by a federal grant.
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has awarded some $46 million for the construction of a section of the pipeline, which will ultimately connect the Ute Reservoir in the village of Logan with the Cannon Air Force Base, 7 miles to the southwest of Clovis, among other locations.
The Bureau of Reclamation operates under the auspices of the federal Department of the Interior and is tasked with overseeing the country’s water resources management.
Members of the New Mexico Water Utility Authority, heading up the project, have now voted to officially accept the Reclamation Bureau grant.
The overall project, known as the Ute Pipeline Project, is designed to provide potable water to some seven communities, as well as the air force base.
Federally authorized in 2009, the project will replace declining groundwater supplies coming from the Ogallala Aquifer with the Ute Reservoirs’ renewable resources.
The latest funding will see the construction of a pipe 39 inches in diameter running from the Quay and Curry County borders on the way to Cannon.
It is anticipated that once the Ute Pipeline Project is completed, it will be able to transport an average of 15 million gallons a day.
Altogether, the total pipeline project will comprise some 150 miles of pipeline.
By Garry Boulard
