Questa gets OK for new well, expects restored service soon

After more than two weeks without water, residents of Questa may finally have service restored.

Village residents began experiencing water outages and extremely low water pressure Dec. 5. The water system serves around 1,800 people. It wasn’t clear exactly how many were affected, though the village said most people were affected.

After days of testing, the village determined one of its two wells was not producing water. Rather than troubleshoot the old well, the village decided to drill a new one.

Crews completed the well last week, but it’s taken several days to finish it and get approval from state water quality inspectors to connect to the village water system.

Village administrator Loretta Trujillo told The Taos News the village got word early Dec. 21 that the water was safe and the well could go online.

Trujillo said water could be restored as early as the afternoon or evening of Dec. 21, though she cautioned that it could still take longer. “That’s a best-case scenario,” Trujillo said.

Village officials had expressed concerns that repressurizing the system could damage plumbing in homes and businesses. But Trujillo said the village had adjusted valves throughout the system and would bring the new well online slowly to prevent any blowouts.

“We’re not going to turn it on full blast,” Trujillo said. “We’re going to start with a slow stream and build it up as needed. We think we’re in a comfortable position.”

Less comfortable, however, is the village's resources to cover the costs to repair the water system.

Trujillo said it cost $130,000 to drill the new 500-foot-deep well, and it would likely cost more to hook it up and finish a permanent connection. Trujillo said the village does not have the money to pay for the well and would be requesting emergency funding from the state to cover the cost. If that fails, the village would likely seek a loan, Trujillo said.

State records show the village has $90,000 in unspent funds earmarked for its water system. State Sen. Carlos Cisneros, D-Questa, told The Taos News Dec. 21 he may be able to reappropriate other money during the upcoming legislative session to cover the repair expense as well.

The weekslong outage has tested the patience of some Questeños, who have criticized the village for lax oversight of the water system and a slow response. Village officials maintain that they did what they could to keep the system functioning and have gotten service restored as quickly as possible.

Classes at schools in Questa have been canceled for the duration of the outage.