New Mexico Program Operates On User Fees

Everyone who visited Pena Blanca, New Mexico, in the early 1980s quickly learned the town had a wastewater problem. In 1990, that all changed when the small community obtained federal and state grants to renovate or replace onsite systems.
One unusual aspect of Pena Blanca’s project was that onsite system management was part of it from the beginning. According to Theresa Armijo, general manager of Pena Blanca’s water and sanitation district (WSD), both the state and the contractor recommended management when they discovered that some septic tanks had never been pumped and that septage had been illegally dumped in the community landfill.
“Now the WSD requires all septic tanks to be pumped every two years,” says Armijo. The WSD contracts with a pumper/hauler from Albuquerque, and Armijo oversees their work, answers service calls, and educates homeowners about their systems.
Rates for the program are structured according to septic tank size and whether homeowners opt to contract maintenance on their own.
“Residents who fully participate in the program are charged $9.01 per month for a septic tank with a capacity less than 1,000 gallons or $10.60 per month for a 1,000- to 1,200-gallon tank,” say Armijo. “Homeowners or businesses with septic tanks larger than 1,200 gallons are charged more, the highest rate being $19.87 per month.”
Homeowners who contract maintenance on their own are charged a $4.07 monthly “standby fee” and must provide documentation showing that pumping took place. According to Armijo, homeowners who opt out of the program don’t really save any money.
For more information about Pena Blanca’s onsite system management program, contact Armijo at (505) 465-2851.

Pipeline
Fall 2001 (Volume 12, Number 4)
©2001 National Small Flows Clearinghouse