Five healthy ponderosa pine trees, slated to be removed for the construction of the new $16 million Los Alamos wastewater treatment facility have been saved. Western Summit of New Mexico (WSNM), the contractor constructing the new facility for the Department of Public Utilities, made some slight design adjustments at no additional cost and saved the trees.
The new facility’s scope of work includes the installation of two pipelines in Pueblo Canyon between the effluent reuse facilities at the old plant site to the new site and many ponderosa pines were in the path. WSNM’s construction superintendent Lee Rogers requested to meet with the County’s Open Space Specialist Craig Martin, to assess rerouting the pipelines to save healthy trees if feasible.
Rogers and Martin met in the field and assessed route changes to save as many healthy trees as possible. Looking for bore holes, Martin identified many trees that had become victim to the bark beetle, or some other malady. “Even though a tree may still be green,” according to Martin, “it is really dead, it just doesn’t know it yet.” The final outcome was that five healthy ponderosa pines were spared the chain saw. One of these trees is estimated at 250 years old.
Rogers said “Western Summit constructs all of its projects with a sensitivity to the environment. This facility is situated in an especially beautiful site and we are committed to protecting all of the undisturbed areas around it.” During the installation of the pipelines Martin will be observing the excavation to assist WSNM in its commitment to protect the beauty and unique features of Pueblo Canyon.
This is just one of many measures that has been taken by the County and its contractors to minimize the impact of the new facility on Pueblo Canyon. From the location to the color selection, the new facility designed by Molzen Corbin and Associates, is intended to blend into the environment and protect the canyon viewshed. The facility is situated between two large groves of trees to partially obscure it from view. In addition colors selected for the roofing and building materials are neutral and will further integrate it into the surrounding environs.
During the redesign of the facility, the county incorporated a suggestion made by the Pajarito Plateau Watershed Partnership and endorsed by the San Ildefonso Pueblo to move the wastewater treatment facility discharge point to the new plant site to help create an additional half-mile of riparian growth. This effort was funded in part by Department of Energy.
This new advanced wastewater treatment facility is scheduled to be completed in fall 2007 and will improve the quality of discharge to further benefit the environment.
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