Pre-project Conditions

Steady, unplanned growth in rural areas of southcentral Doña Ana County resulted in many homes not having access to a centralized wastewater treatment system. Residents and businesses used on-site systems such as septic tanks or cesspools for wastewater disposal. In some cases, multiple dwellings were connected to a single on-site system. The high density of homes combined with a prominent layer of poorly draining soil caused frequent surfacing of contaminated water and was an immediate threat to public health.  The failing on-site systems also posed a potential health and environmental risk from infiltration of wastewater to the aquifer.

Project Scope

This regional project consisted of the construction of individual sewer systems and residential hook-ups for the communities of Vado, Del Cerro, La Mesa, San Miguel, Berino, and Chamberino, as well as construction of the South Central Wastewater Treatment Plant to serve all six communities. The main project components  

• Construction of approximately 301,000 linear feet of gravity sewers and 78,100 linear feet of force main.
• Installation of an estimated 2,200 residential hookups and decommissioning of on-site disposal systems.
• Construction of a sequencing batch reactor type treatment facility using ultraviolet disinfection to treat up to 1.05 million gallons of wastewater per day (mgd). Plant effluent will be discharged into the Rio Grande, and sludge will be dewatered by mechanical equipment and disposed of in a landfill.

Benefits

The project provided first-time wastewater collection and treatment services to 2,200 residences in six communities, eliminating the health risks attributed to groundwater contamination and untreated sewage run-off caused by failing on-site wastewater treatment systems.