Belen wins $21 million to rehab aging wastewater plant

Belen won approval for $21 million to rehabilitate its wastewater treatment plant, a 44-year-old facility that first opened in 1982 and is now far past its intended service life.

The plant handles wastewater from homes and businesses before the water is cleaned and discharged. Wastewater director Jeffrey Gatewood said the facility has effectively doubled the lifespan many treatment plants are expected to have.

The financing package is built as a 90 percent grant worth $18.9 million and a 10 percent loan worth $2.1 million. The package also included $2 million in New Mexico Capital Outlay money, $1 million from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and $1.092 million in federal funding secured by U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich. Belen had previously estimated the rehab at $13.34 million, later revising the figure to $14.34 million.

City officials say the work will include a new ultraviolet disinfection system, energy-efficiency improvements, changes needed for nitrogen removal, better sludge-handling equipment, a new sludge dewatering facility and a larger laboratory to help the city manage testing and compliance requirements. The project grew out of nearly a decade of work by city staff, with City Manager Roseann Peralta saying Belen had pursued the funding for years and Mayor Robert Noblin calling it a critical step.

The Water Trust Board, a 16-member body administered by the New Mexico Finance Authority under the Water Project Finance Act, recommends projects for funding through the Water Project Fund. New Mexico Finance Authority awards are typically a mix of grants and loans based on an applicant’s financial capacity and a project’s readiness. The city’s plant also carries a record of recognition, including the New Mexico Water and Wastewater Association’s 2022 Good Housekeeping Award for an activated sludge plant 20 years and older.