Los Alamos County to begin final phase of fire protection project
Camp May Road stays in the spotlight as Los Alamos County launches the final phase of a wildfire protection project linking Pajarito to the county water system.
Los Alamos County will start the final phase of its Jemez Mountain Fire Protection Project Monday, June 1, pushing a multi-year utility build closer to a finish that county officials say will strengthen fire protection along the Camp May and Pajarito corridor before the heart of fire season.
Phase 3 runs through December 2026 and is the last stretch of a project the county says will connect its water supply system to the Pajarito water storage tank so water can be delivered for fire protection to the mountain reservoir and surrounding areas. The broader effort also includes fiber-optic and electrical conduit, tying wildfire resilience to the basic systems that support Pajarito Mountain and nearby lands.
County project materials put the total effort at a $7.9 million New Mexico Legislature grant, with remaining costs of up to $18 million split between Los Alamos County and the Pajarito Recreation Project. The county’s schedule shows Phase 1 from April through October 2025, Phase 2 from October 2025 through April 2026, and Phase 3 from May through December 2026.
The engineering scope is substantial. The county’s FY2026 budget guide says the project will build a new 500,000-gallon water tank, four water booster stations and 23,000 feet of 10-inch waterline along Camp May Road. It is designed to move potable water from the existing Los Alamos system to the Pajarito Mountain 10-million-gallon reservoir, adding capacity that can help mountain-area operations and nearby property owners when wildfire risk rises.
Work along Camp May Road has already moved through underground utility installation, with waterlines and conduit for electric and fiber lines in place and vaults for fiber and electric lines completed. County road updates say paving operations and final road work are now underway, which means residents should continue to see heavy machinery moving large equipment, construction traffic, noise and ongoing work-zone restrictions in the corridor.
The route crosses Los Alamos County, Los Alamos National Laboratory land, private properties and Santa Fe National Forest land, underscoring the coordination behind the project. A 2024 county resolution also said the New Mexico Legislature appropriated $900,000 to the New Mexico Environment Department to plan, design and construct a pipeline to the Pajarito reservoir. By the time Phase 3 ends, the county will need to show that the remaining paving, access work and system tie-ins have turned a long construction corridor into a stronger fire-protection backbone for the mountain.
This article was produced by Prism’s automated news system from verified source data, official records, and press releases, then run through automated quality and moderation checks before publishing. The system is built and supervised by the people who set the standards it runs under. Read our full AI policy.
Did this article answer your question?
