City awards construction contract to decommission wastewater treatment plant on Sara Rd.

The Rio Rancho Governing Body voted to award a contract to Two Bears Construction that would allow the city to decommission a wastewater treatment plant.

“In 2017, after over 45 year in service, it was determined that Wastewater Treatment Plant 1 (WWTP 1) located at 4300 Sara Road would cease operating and be decommissioned due to age and equipment condition,” the Jan. 11 governing body agenda reads.

Protocol for the decommissioning of WWTP 1 was provided by the New Mexico Environment Department.

Decommissioning the wastewater treatment plant, or phase 1, involves removing all the mechanical equipment including aeration tanks, electrical systems, influent splitter box and basin railings.

Phase 2 involves concrete demolition, core drilling the bottom of each basin to precipitate proper drainage, and drilling of each of the three large basins and pond with proper fill and level to grade. In addition, compaction testing will also be performed.

Fill dirt will be obtained at no cost from the Southern Country Arroyo Flood Control Authority site. The city says this will save them about $200,000.

The construction timeline is estimated to be 12 weeks from the notice to proceed. The project proposal details the total cost at $776,361.46.