“Vacuum” sewer breakdown, stop-gap fix, wasted money—rinse and repeat

Just as Truth or Consequences water customers are having to pay twice (or more) for emergency repairs and then permanent waterline replacement, sewer customers will pay for emergency repairs to the “vacuum” sewer system on west Riverside Drive and then to replace it with a gravity-and-lift-station system.

The city’s numerous emergency repairs is evidence of long-term neglect, lack of vetting projects, lack of fiduciary oversight and lack of planning.

The sewer vacuum system, once again, caused sewer backups into people’s homes and yards, Water and Wastewater Director Arnie Castaneda revealed at the March 13 city commission meeting, without giving a date. It took two days to locate where the blockage was, he said, and another three days to clear the pipe.

Castaneda kept it vague. It is unclear if the system can move sewage at all. “I know people are mad,” he said.

This is the second time Castaneda has brought up the big problems with the vacuum sewer system. Castaneda, who had worked for the city for many years, was brought out of retirement in January 2023. He’s had to reveal and face several crises while being short staffed. He only has eight staff people who work for both departments. In years past there have been 10 staff people (under previous-City Manager Morris Madrid), which was also deemed insufficient staffing.

Castaneda said the vacuum sewer system serves about 300 customers and “hasn’t been maintained.” That’s not what Jesse Cole said, his predecessor. At an October 2019 city commission meeting Cole said the system had been well-maintained since it was installed in 1996. I too remember reporting on several repairs to this system while I was a reporter for the Herald, (from 2006 to 2013).

At the October 2019 meeting, the city commission agreed to take out a $373,000 loan from the New Mexico Finance Authority and to accept a $100,000 grant from the New Mexico Environment Department to do more extensive replacements and repairs on the vacuum sewer system. “They [the vacuum lines] back up pretty regularly,” Cole said at the October 2019 meeting, with customers having to call the city to inform them “they can’t flush,” Cole said. One of the problems with the system is the lack of triggers and alerts to inform the sewer department. Cole said “diodes” would be installed that would pin the location and time of the blockage.

Assistant City Manager Traci Alvarez has given no explanation over the four and a half years that project has been stalled as to why it has been stalled. Alvarez is responsible for capital projects. No doubt Alvarez didn’t want to reveal that sewer utility fees have been paying off the loan for the same period of time with nothing to show for it. I wonder if the NMED withdrew its $100,000 because the project was left moribund so long.

It fell to Castaneda to give the city commission a reality check. About three months ago Castaneda said the parts to the system are no longer available. He recommended replacing it altogether with the typical municipal sewer system that puts in lift stations to move the sewage through the pipes.

At the March 13 meeting, Castaneda said the vacuum system was never meant to service a residential neighborhood. It was designed for boat docks, to pump out sewage tanks on board.

Putting in such a rinky-dink system in the first place shows utter lack of fiduciary oversight. No qualified city department head would have allowed it and an awake city commission would have asked enough questions to reveal the flawed plan put forth by an engineering firm. Engineering firms must love T or C’s gullibility and lack of vetting.

Castaneda said the “vacuum pump burned,” the second and only surviving vacuum pump.

The company that makes the vacuum sewer system has the “city over a barrel” because its parts are “proprietary” and can’t be purchased anywhere else. They want over $20,000 for the pump, which will take 60 days to be delivered, he said. Airvac, located in Denver, Colorado, wants “another $6,200,” Castaneda said, “to get Airvac out.” It’s unclear if this is to deliver and/or install the pump or for airfare or some other reason. Castaneda didn’t mention any other emergency parts or costs.

The emergency repair must be done to keep sewer service available to the 300 customers, Castaneda said, even though it needs to then be replaced with a gravity and lift-station system he estimated would cost “two to three million dollars.”

It was vaguely stated, but not spelled out in the city commission’s motion, that purchases to fix the vacuum sewer system will come out of the $373,000 loan.

Mayor Rolf Hechler said this fiscal year was all about getting money for the water system, but next fiscal year the city’s sewer problems will be a focus. City Commissioner Ingo Hoeppner asked that water and sewer projects be planned together so that the streets don’t have to be torn up twice “and we can hopefully save some money.” Hechler said, “Good point.”

The city was just awarded $20.4 million for emergency waterline repairs by the state legislature. Hechler, during a legislative-committee hearing and at a city commission meeting in January, admitted that the repairs and costs are “not a long-term solution.” That’s an indirect way of saying that the $20.4 million is pretty much money wasted by lack of planning and maintenance and repair. Hechler estimated the city has $120 million in long-term solution waterline repairs and $100 million in long-term sewer repairs.