Ute Mountain Ute tribal leaders are moving forward with plans to replace sections of a failing water line that serves as the sole water supply for Towaoc, citing repeated breaks, contamination risks and rising repair costs.
The Tribal Council approved a resolution this week to apply for a $4 million grant to fund the third phase of a long-term water infrastructure overhaul.
If awarded, funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture would support the design and construction of thousands of feet of 18-inch high-density pipe in the most critical areas of the aging 22-mile transmission line. Water from McPhee Reservoir is treated in Cortez before traveling to Towaoc.
The engineering firm hired to evaluate the project has completed about 90% of a preliminary report. The tribe retained Souder Miller & Associates. Engineers said the upgrades could increase water flow from roughly 886 gallons per minute to as much as 1,500 gallons per minute, depending on which of the two storage tanks is used. While the improvements would increase reliability, they would not replace the entire line.
The third phase is part of a larger, multi-phase effort to replace the tribe’s only water line from the Cortez Treatment Plant. Funding has been assembled incrementally from multiple sources, a process Bernadette Cuthair, tribal director of planning and development, described as “piecemealing” resources together.
“We’re going to the most critical areas first to fix it and study it and fix it,” Cuthair told the council while presenting the resolution Tuesday.
The tribe has already completed the first two phases. Phase one replaced about 3,595 feet of pipe using 16-inch high-density transmission pipe, funded through a $1.9 million USDA grant.
Construction for Phase two is scheduled to begin Monday with the Weenuche Construction Authority, according to a project engineer. That phase will replace roughly 11,000 feet of pipe using 15-inch material, supported by about $4.3 million from the Indian Health Service and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Originally built in the 1970s and 1980s with ductile iron, portions of the line have corroded because of soil conditions. The transmission line was constructed in partnership with the Dolores Water Conservation District, which provided much of the original funding, Cuthair said.
“It’s had a lot of failures between then and the 1980s. It started failing at some points because of corrosive soil,” she said.
The community experiences several water breaks each year, costing the public works department time and money. Officials estimate repairing a single break costs about $10,000 in tribal funds.
Future phases will require additional funding, and project managers said federal agencies appear interested in supporting the effort. The tribe recently sent a letter to Colorado Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper requesting funding for a full replacement of the 22-mile transmission line, with total costs estimated at $54 million.
Councilman Alston Turtle raised concerns about drinking water safety, noting that tap water in Towaoc sometimes runs “brown as mud.” He expressed alarm over rising cancer rates and said many residents avoid drinking the local water.
Cuthair said regular water quality testing is required to meet Environmental Protection Agency standards and emphasized the importance of clear communication from the public works department when water breaks cause temporary discoloration.
In response to a council member’s question about recent meetings with the Cortez Water Treatment Center, Cuthair said the tribe currently purchases domestic drinking water from the city of Cortez at a “very high expense.”
She said the tribe is attempting to negotiate better purchasing terms by partnering with the city to help upgrade portions of Cortez’s water system. Cuthair said the city has been “forthcoming about negotiating” and willing to act as a partner.
If negotiations fail, the tribe is also exploring alternatives, including bypassing the Cortez system and constructing a separate line directly from the reservoir or another community, Cuthair said.
Chairman Selwyn Whiteskunk told Cuthair on Tuesday, “I want you to assert yourself more aggressively on behalf of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe.”
awatson@the-journal.com
