The following award was given at the Awards Luncheon for the New Mexico Rural Water Association April 18, which was held at the Albuquerque Hotel in Old Town, Albuquerque:
Gallup Wastewater Treatment Plant – Wastewater System of the Year
The Gallup Wastewater Treatment Plant has worked since Dec. 2016 to improve their wastewater treatment plant. As a result, the plant passed its EPA inspections with minimum to no violations. It has saved the city nearly $350,000 by implementing projects to improve the overall operation of the facility.
The plant has also improved the messaging system by which it receives complaints about odor. Calls used to flood in and now have nearly stopped. The team still responds diligently to the few calls they do receive. The wastewater treatment plant has also implemented high safety standards. In this safer workplace, the team has had 545 days and counting without a recordable accident.
The plant has also replaced its chlorination and dechlorination system, installed new pumps for the utility water system, and brought their cloth filters back on line.
With its many improvements, the Gallup Wastewater Treatment Plant is prepared for any disasters that may arise.
By Jose Terrones
President, New Mexico Rural Water Association
