NORTHERN NEW MEXICO
Town of Taos urges water conservation after supply drops to 'critically low levels'
Utilities crews discover malfunction in automated control system that manages water tanks
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TAOS 鈥� The town of Taos is asking residents to conserve water after discovering a leak and a malfunction that caused storage tanks to drop to 鈥渃ritically low levels鈥� over the weekend, leaving some users without pressure for days.
Utilities crews discovered the malfunction in the water system鈥檚 supervisory control and data acquisition system, which automates management of the town鈥檚 water tanks. Workers were still applying a fix to the system on Monday evening.
Crews were able to repair the leak they located 鈥渘ear one of the storage tanks,鈥� but the process required taking the tank offline, further reducing water levels for some users.
Town officials emphasized the importance that users continue to be economical with their water use until the full repair is complete.
鈥淭he Town of Taos does not yet have a confirmed timeline for when storage levels will be fully replenished,鈥� Joe Vigil, deputy public utilities director, said in a news release.
The water shortage comes as July temperatures spike across the state this week, with the high expected to reach the low 90s in Taos on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.
The unincorporated Taos County community of Cerro, about 45 minutes north of the town of Taos, continues to wrestle with its own water woes.
An estimated 80 households there have been without water since the town鈥檚 main water pump failed in May, according to the New Mexico Environment Department, whose teams are working on a fix.
Cerro is about 4 miles north of Questa, where Kit Carson Electric Cooperative is working with officials to establish a first-of-its-kind green hydrogen plant.
While unrelated to either water shortage, the green hydrogen plant has raised concerns from some critics about its water use amid ongoing drought in the region.
John Miller is the Journal鈥檚 northern New Mexico correspondent. He can be reached at jmiller@abqjournal.com.
