Adrian Hedden
Artesia Daily Press

Heavy rainfall this summer prompted several flood warnings and road closures in Eddy County, meaning emergency personnel were out blocking roads and ready to rescue those trapped by water.

Eddy County Emergency Manager Jennifer Armendariz reported that 7.47 inches of rainfall fell between June 1 and July 11 at Carlsbad Caverns, while 4.42 inches fell at the Carlsbad Airport and 3.77 inches in Artesia.

She said during a presentation at Tuesday’s Eddy County Commission meeting that the monsoon weather meant the county’s Office of Emergency Management was out documenting flooding, staffing road closures and conducting water rescues throughout the summer.

Armendariz said the county has more than 100 low-water crossings – roadways at lower elevations that frequently flood during heavy rain events – and 12 bridges also at-risk during rains.

Extensive flooding was reported in rural areas of Eddy County, Armendariz said, at road crossings on McDonald Road, Longhorn Road and Deer Canyon. She said motorists should avoid these areas during heavy rainfall and not attempt to drive through flooded intersections.

“Any education that we can talk about, we do. Turn around don’t drown – it’s just a phrase until it happens,” Armendariz said.

During destructive storms, Armendariz said, the department collaborates with first responders in the area to collect photos and document the impacts. That can help the county apply for federal disaster funds when rains turn to deadly floods.

This year’s monsoonal weather in Eddy County came amid catastrophic flooding in the Ruidoso area on July 8, a flood that killed three people, destroyed several homes and shut down the Ruidoso Downs Race Track for the season. The races were moved to the Albuquerque Downs, and flood risks remained throughout the month.

A federal Major Disaster Declaration was issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) July 23 in Ruidoso, allowing those impacted by the floods to apply for federal money to aid in the subsequent rebuilding and other relief efforts. That followed an Emergency Declaration issued by FEMA in the immediate aftermath to aid in first response.

Should a similar flood event happen in Eddy County, Armendariz said the county would be ready.

“In the event that there’s ever a FEMA declaration, they usually ask for pictures. It’s a collaboration between a lot of people,” she said.

As of Tuesday’s meeting, Director Hazer Archer said floodwaters had receded and most roads were drivable throughout the county. He said the McDonald Road crossing remained closed as county workers repaired the road.

Archer said the county was planning to add gates at some low-water crossings. The gates could be closed to prevent drivers from entering flooded areas.

“We have a road crew on call 24 hours a day,” he said. “At this point, all the roads are safe to travel.”

District 4 County Commissioner Bo Bowen commended emergency responders for their work during the floods.

“There was a lot of unexpected rain, a lot of washed-out roads,” he said. “Everyone was panicking over this, but it was great to see a lot of successes coming out of it.”

Managing Editor Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, or @AdrianHedden on the social media platform X.

Adrian Hedden
Carlsbad Current-Argus
achedden@currentargus.com

Federal officials maintained that the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant was continuing to successfully dispose of nuclear waste at the underground repository near Carlsbad, even amid concerns that the facility was aging and becoming unsafe.

Mark Bollinger, manager of the Department of Energy’s Carlsbad Field Office which oversees WIPP’s operations, said during a Wednesday public forum held in Hobbs that the site was continuing to increase shipments to about 17 per week, potentially continuing disposal until 2080.

But that purported success came as the New Mexico Environment Department filed an administrative compliance order to the Department of Energy and its primary WIPP contractor Salado Isolation Mining Contractors (SIMCO), citing five violations of the state permit related to infrastructure safety.

The environment department demanded the federal agency provide a schedule and detailed plan to address its infrastructure within 60 days of the July 25 order.

As evidence of the problem, the state cited a June 24 report by the Government Accountability Office calling on the department to increase oversight of SIMCO and its maintenance operations at WIPP.

That report said “more than half” of WIPP’s infrastructure was in substandard condition, including hoists and electrical substations in the underground.

“This independent federal audit presents evidence of systemic failures in infrastructure maintenance and oversight at WIPP that raise concerns about the Facility’s continued compliance with Permit conditions requiring operational maintenance of the Facility,” read the order.

The report followed a June 18 letter from the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board to the Department of Energy detailing an alleged state of disrepair at WIPP’s three underground elevators and other infrastructure in the underground.

“These are very disturbing issues that I think the public should be concerned about,” said Lawrence Fioretta, an attendee at the forum.

At the site, the federal government disposes of transuranic nuclear waste (TRU), which is clothing materials, equipment and other debris irradiated during nuclear activities.

The waste is buried at WIPP in a salt deposit about 2,000 feet underground. The salt gradually collapses on the waste, burying the refuse and blocking radiation from escaping.

Moving workers in and out of the underground requires the use of three hoists. The main elevator can move people and waste into the underground, while a lift carrying salt to the surface can also be used for workers. A third hoist doubles as an air intake shaft. A fourth shaft serves only for exhaust and has no lifting ability.

Bollinger argued that the infrastructure concerns were being addressed and that all WIPP’s hoists are functioning and can pass inspections.

“We won’t operate if we can’t do it safely,” Bollinger said, noting “a billion dollars” was spent on recent infrastructure improvements. “We move at the speed of safety. We will continue to make progress on infrastructure and not have any safety problems as a result.”

SIMCO Capital Asset Manager Brandon Jones said the contractor was taking several steps to rebuild infrastructure at the WIPP site. He said some such projects were delayed by supply chain problems and recently imposed tariffs on imported materials.

“We upgrade the infrastructure so that we have reliable hoists. They’re needed for waste disposal,” Jones said. “We have seen supply chain issues, delays in critical components, some because of tariffs.”

Los Alamos ‘highest priority’

Concerns for WIPP’s safety could worsen over the next 50 years, said Cynthia Weehler, a Santa Fe resident and frequent WPP critic who attended Tuesday’s forum. She said that as WIPP planned to take in waste from federal facilities across the country, it was also in danger of failing to clean up waste left over from the Cold War at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).

Cleaning up Los Alamos in northern New Mexico was a mission Weehler said New Mexicans were promised in agreeing to host the WIPP site.

“I’m wondering where New Mexico fits in that and finishing that original mission at WIPP,” Weehler said. “We’re quite concerned and want to make sure LANL waste is the waste that is addressed first.”

Bollinger responded that Los Alamos was WIPP’s “highest priority site” and that when waste is ready it is taken from the lab, where the United States’ first nuclear weapons were developed during the Manhattan Project.

He told those in attendance a recent estimate that WIPP would continue accepting waste until 2083 was based on predicted availability of waste and could change over the years. As of Wednesday, Bollinger said, the WIPP underground was at 45% of its capacity.

“Our goal is to always take LANL waste first when it’s ready. We want to take their waste whenever it’s ready,” Bollinger said. “They have that authorization. Whatever number they want, they’ll get.”

Managing Editor Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, or @AdrianHedden on the social media platform X.

Ruidoso News

RUIDOSO — With ground broken on a new housing complex in Ruidoso on July 18, the village’s long quest to provide more affordable housing for working families is closer to reality.

Village officials and representatives from Housing NM and Dallas-based development company Enriched Communities gathered at the Ruidoso Convention Center to celebrate the soon-to-be constructed Elk Meadows apartments at 1104 Mechem Drive.

“Getting to this point has been a complicated and challenging process,” said Colin Kruger, Enriched Communities representative. “I think it’s a good case study for affordable housing in general and not just in New Mexico. At the end of the day, we’ve got a $22 million project that has nine distinct and separate sources of capital.”

Ruidoso Mayor Lynn Crawford said there will be 72 one, two and three-bedroom units when the project is completed. He said the groundbreaking ceremony represents the realization of a seven-year dream for the village and for him.

“It’s a difficult process, and it’s a year before this is complete,” Crawford said. “So it’s just a dent in the housing shortage for working families, but this is the first movement that’s visible. We’re hoping to do more as a village, and hope this continues to stimulate private investment in the community.”

Crawford said things really got into gear when the village first pursued 9% low-income housing tax credits (LIHTC) for developers from Housing NM. It took three tries before the incentive was finally awarded at the Housing NM May 2024 board meeting, due to a very competitive process and stringent requirements.