A project that would take wastewater and convert it into non-potable water usage is still very much in the planning stage in Albuquerque.
But members of the New Mexico State Legislature this winter voted to approve a portion of the preliminary design funding needed to get the water treatment plant built.
The project belongs to the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority and will go up on a 4.5-acre site near the intersection of Coors Boulevard and Montano Road.
The project is part of the ABCWUA’s 100-year plan which places an emphasis on water reuse for the growing west side of the Duke City.
According to a report compiled by the department called Water Reuse–The Wave of the Future, the new facility, once built, has the potential of diverting up to “seven million gallons of wastewater daily” for use on parks and golf courses.
Excess water, meanwhile, will be “treated to regulatory standards” and discharged into the Rio Grande.
It is thought that it may ultimately cost as much as $300 million to build out what is being called the Bosque/West Side Water Reclamation Plant. ABCWUA officials have earlier intimated that construction of the project could be funded through bonds.
By Garry Boulard
