Background

AWSD operates the water and wastewater systems in the city of Anthony and surrounding areas in Doña Ana County. It currently provides water and wastewater services to 2,865 and 2,559 residential customers, respectively.

The main components of its water system include four active wells, several miles of distribution lines, a reverse osmosis arsenic removal system and two one-million-gallon water storage tanks. Some of its infrastructure dates to the 1950’s, and many components have reached the end of their service life, are unreliable and need to be replaced.

A water audit completed in December 2019 determined that the AWSD system was losing close to 30% of its water production due to leakage, primarily because of line breaks. Using service records to map the frequency of line breaks, the water audit determined that two of the oldest areas in the distribution system had the highest concentration of breaks. In those areas most of the lines were constructed with 2-inch diameter pipes, which are undersized by current standards. Moreover, many of the lines are located in alleyways and are not easily accessible due to vegetation, sheds and other obstacles that have accumulated over time.

Description

The Project consists of rehabilitating about 23,000 linear feet (LF) of deteriorated pipeline in the water distribution system, as follows:

• Kaylar Subdivision: Install 16,200 LF of 6-inch polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe and 394 connections.
• Timbers Subdivision: Install 6,800 LF of 6-inch PVC pipe and 152 connections.

 Existing lines in alleyways will be abandoned, and new lines will be constructed in the street right-of-way.

Benefits

The Project will ensure reliable and sustainable drinking water services for 546 existing residential connections by reducing the risk of leaks and line breaks, thus preventing excessive water losses, service disruptions and potential cross-contamination problems that increase the risk of waterborne diseases. In particular, the project will help improve water resource management, with the goal of reducing real water losses to less than 20% of water produced.