City says water supply remains sufficient while repairs and replacement project aim to improve long-term reliability
GRANTS, N.M. — The City of Grants is undertaking more than $2 million in municipal water well repairs and replacement work as it seeks to restore a second operational production well and reduce its reliance on a single source of water.
For approximately 10 months, Well No. 3 has been the city's only operational production well, according to City Manager Andrew Valencia. Despite that reliance, Valencia said the well has sufficient capacity to meet the community's water needs, which average approximately 800,000 gallons per day.
The city is working with contractor Alpha Southwest to repair its existing Well No. 1 while preparing to drill a replacement well nearby.
The goal is to improve the reliability of the water system, allow the city to distribute production between its wells and reduce the strain on aging infrastructure.
“Once Well No. 1 is operational, we anticipate it will provide approximately 25% of the City's water needs,” Valencia said. “This will reduce the workload on Well No. 3 and allow us to better distribute production between the two wells.”
At current consumption levels, that represents approximately 200,000 gallons per day.
Additional Repairs Approved
The Grants City Council voted 3-0 on Oct. 14 to approve a $235,367 amendment, excluding New Mexico gross receipts tax, for additional repairs to Well No. 1. Councilors George Garcia and Fred Rodarte supported the motion, along with the third participating council member. Councilor Beverly Michael was absent.
The additional work follows an evaluation of the well by Alpha Southwest and the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer.
According to documents presented to the council, the original repair plan called for installing a 12-inch liner and seal inside the existing well, which dates to 1961.
However, after further review, the Office of the State Engineer required additional work, including perforating and cementing portions of the existing casing and conducting pressure testing.
A construction diagram included in the packet Grant’s City Councilor’s receive for review identifies holes in the well casing and potential pathways for water to move between an upper perched aquifer and a deeper regional aquifer.
A June memorandum from city pipes superintendent Mike Childs explained that state regulators wanted a more permanent repair to prevent water from the two underground sources from mixing.
The documents identify a potential pathway for water movement but do not establish that the city's drinking water has been contaminated.
The council previously approved a $299,927.59 repair proposal in July. The October amendment brings those two amounts to $535,294.59, matching Alpha Southwest's September estimate for the existing well repairs.
Replacement Well Planned
In addition to repairing the existing well, Grants has a separate $1,732,588 purchase order for a new replacement well.
Alpha Southwest's Oct. 1 project summary also lists a $79,720 purchase order for earlier temporary repair work. Together, those two purchase orders and the September existing-well repair estimate represent approximately $2.35 million in documented project commitments and proposed work, before applicable taxes and any additional expenses.
The project summary identifies further potential costs for electrical and control- system modifications that had not yet been determined. During the council meeting, a contractor representative explained that the replacement well will be drilled near the existing Well No. 1. Because the wells are within approximately 100 feet of one another, the representative said state requirements will allow only one of those two wells to operate at a time.
The new well is intended to replace the older facility as the primary Well No. 1 production source, with the repaired existing well available as a backup, according to the presentation. Well No. 3 would remain the city's main municipal production well.
The contractor also explained that drilling through the area's volcanic basalt, locally called malpais, requires additional care and can slow construction.
The existing well is located in a fenced city-owned area south of Diamond G. The contractor told councilors that work is not expected to cause substantial traffic disruptions.
Work Could Continue into Spring
Under Alpha Southwest's tentative schedule, perforating and cementing the existing well is expected to begin in mid-November and conclude by the end of that month.
Installation of the new liner and seal is scheduled for December. However, the project summary does not establish a confirmed date for the repaired well to return to production because delivery and installation of equipment remain pending.
Drilling of the replacement well is tentatively scheduled to begin Jan. 1, 2027, with production testing expected by mid-February. Construction of the new well house is projected to conclude by mid-March.
The contractor indicated during the council meeting that the city hopes to have the repaired well operating by the end of December and the replacement well available by the end of March, although those dates are not guaranteed.
Impact on Residents
Valencia said Well No. 3 remains capable of supplying the city's water needs during both normal and peak-demand periods.
He also confirmed that the city maintains an emergency response plan for potential disruptions and conducts annual inspections of municipal wells and water storage tanks.
The city has not detailed what alternative supply arrangements would be available if Well No. 3 experienced a prolonged mechanical failure before Well No. 1 returns to service.
Valencia emphasized that restoring the additional well will not increase the city's legally permitted water use.
“The City's water usage is governed by our existing water rights and the amounts permitted by the State of New Mexico,” he said. “Those allocations do not change simply because we have another operational well.”
Instead, the city expects to shift approximately onequarter of its production back to Well No. 1 when it becomes available.
During the council meeting, Valencia said he and Finance Director Victor Villalobos were reviewing funding possibilities, including Water Trust Board assistance, city investments and gross receipts tax revenue, with the aim of avoiding additional municipal debt. A final funding breakdown was not established in the materials reviewed.
“The purpose of this investment is not to increase our overall water consumption but to improve the reliability, efficiency, and longevity of our existing water infrastructure,” Valencia said.