The early 1990s was a period of intensive work to establish public water supplies for the unincorporated areas in Presidio County. Former County Judge Monroe Elms served from 1990 to 1994. He and County Attorney Dan Newsome worked with a grant writer to obtain funding from a federal colonias program to build water infrastructure in the towns of Candelaria, Ruidosa and Redford. Since then, some of the systems have fared better than others, and the county has sometimes found itself on the hook to help these struggling communities.
In order to better address these needs, the county formed the Presidio County Utility System Board (USB) to help these public water supplies pool resources, share knowledge, and work more closely together to solve problems. Commissioner-elect Deirdre Hisler and Redford Public Water Supply Corporation President Charlie Angell, who both serve on the USB, recently organized a board field trip to all of the public water supplies in the county’s unincorporated areas. They were joined by USB board members Martha Stafford from Shafter and Wikar Kadhim from Ruidosa.
The tour began at the Redford Public Water Supply, where the group met up with Hector Morales, the water operator for Redford. Water operators are certified professionals who ensure the compliance of their systems by collecting and sending water samples, keeping customers informed of any issues with water contaminants, and maintaining the water infrastructure.
Redford’s water system consists of two wells drilled in the Redford Bolson Aquifer: one equipped to produce 60 gallons/minute and the other equipped to pump about 17 gallons/minute. Water from these wells passes through a water treatment system before it is sent to the two 60,000-gallon standpipes located on a bluff above town. From there it is gravity-fed to area customers. Morales explained the water treatment system by showing the tanks that contain the chlorine that is used to treat the water. “Chlorine, of course, is very dangerous,” said Morales. “You really have to know what you are doing.”
Morales also showed the cabinet where he keeps the operating manual for the system and the map of the houses that receive water. There is also a switchboard where Morales can easily reset either of the pumps if they are hit by lightning. According to Morales, the entire site encompassing the standpipes, the treatment system, and the switch cabinet, sits on land that his mother donated.
The group then received a demonstration of how to collect the monthly water samples. Angell pointed out that it’s important to collect the samples properly. Operators must wear gloves and sterilize the tap before they collect the sample. They also have to keep the sample refrigerated, according to Angell, “because if it’s not refrigerated, it builds up bacteria and you’re going to fail.”
Morales uses alcohol to sterilize the tap and allows water to run for at least 30 seconds before collecting a sample. The number of hookups determines the number of sampling sites. A small system like Redford’s is only required to collect one sample from the central water treatment site. “One of the most important things for a water system to do is collect water samples,” said Morales. “It’s very simple … if you don’t have a sample in your record” each month, you usually “get a warning first.” But eventually you will get fined. Each sample must reach the lab within 30 hours of collection, and “Odessa is the closest lab,” according to Morales. The group discussed the possibility of coordinating sample shipments with the state park or the city of Presidio to cut down on expenses.
Each standpipe is equipped with a level gauge on the side that moves up and down to indicate the water level in the standpipe. Because the gauge can be difficult to see from the road, Morales has wrapped metallic tape around the gauge so he can easily tell the water level. “If the level is at 25 feet, then the pumps are definitely not working,” said Morales, requiring him to drive over to the standpipes to see what’s gone wrong. Angell also explained that line breaks in the system are often noticed by changes such as a “lush spot” in the landscape “that’s not natural.”
With a public water supply system, there’s always something to be repaired or adjusted. But Morales was very clear about the importance of maintaining a robust system because “most of the houses here in Redford had no running water” before the public water supply was built. “They would haul the water in 550-gallon tanks.”
Angell reported that, while the system may have “very little cushion in the bank for major upgrades,” they don’t have any customers behind on their water bills. Stafford, who is working to establish a public water supply in Shafter, summed up her amazement by saying, “This system could be a model for all of us.”
The group then moved on to Ruidosa, where they were joined by Bianca Tellez, who represents Candelaria on the Utility System Board. The public water supply system in Ruidosa was created through the tireless efforts of Jim and Olivia Bloomberg, who own the property where the treatment system is located. The system serves about 35 meters and consists of one well, one 10,000-gallon standpipe, and a shed with a chlorination system and a pump. The treated water is gravity-fed from the standpipe to the customers through a 2.5-mile line that runs along the west side of Pinto Canyon Road. Kadhim, who recently moved to town with his wife, is pursuing his certification as a water operator for Ruidosa. He confirmed that the system’s chlorine tanks are “leased and very expensive.” The group conferred on the need for a second, back-up standpipe similar to Redford’s system.
The final stop on the tour was the Candelaria Public Water Supply, which has been in disarray since its longtime manager, Rosa Elva Madrid, recently passed away. In addition to this setback, the community has been without a water operator for some time now and the system has received heavy fines from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Environmental Protection Agency. Tellez and her mother, Lorraine Tellez, are working to put the system back in order.
Candelaria’s water system, which was initiated in 1991, consists of one well, one standpipe, and a shed housing the chlorination system. There is a second well, but, according to Tellez, “We don’t know why it’s not working.” The chlorine tanks are currently empty, and the standpipe has a level gauge that is no longer functional. René Peña, a Candelaria resident who takes care of the system in the absence of a water operator, stated that he has to manually turn on the pump when the level gets too low, and then it takes “a couple of days” to fill up the standpipe.
There was some confusion about work that was recently done by a local service provider. Lorraine Tellez, vice-president of the water supply corporation, felt that the driller “didn’t finish the work” because the pump needs to be manually switched on and off and the level gauge was not repaired. She wanted to know what the provider was hired to do and when the provider will finish the work. Although I reached out to the provider a couple of times, he was unable to be reached by press time.
There was also a misunderstanding about new meters that Candelaria was supposed to receive several years ago through a grant obtained by the city of Presidio when County Judge Joe Portillo was still Presidio’s city administrator. Portillo was able to clarify that Presidio’s grant covered new meters for the municipal system and Candelaria was intended to receive the used meters from the city. However, he was unable to confirm whether those meters were ever delivered to Candelaria.
It is hoped that the efforts of the Utility System Board will help prevent these sorts of misunderstandings with Hisler acting as a conduit to the county and each board member providing input from their respective communities. If the field trip is any indication, this board could provide just the catalyst Presidio County’s colonias need not just to survive, but to thrive.
Trey Gerfers serves as general manager of the Presidio County Underground Water Conservation District. A San Antonio native, he has lived in Marfa since 2013 and can be reached at tgerfers@pcuwcd.org.