Bosque Farms Awarded $10 Million for Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrades

After watching federal funding for its aging wastewater treatment plant get recalled earlier this year, the Village of Bosque Farms secured a $10 million state capital outlay appropriation through Senate Bill 240, part of a package Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed that delivers more than $1.5 billion statewide for infrastructure, schools, roads, and housing.

The money is designated specifically to plan, design, construct, equip and improve the wastewater treatment plant, including a clarifier and sludge processing system, according to the appropriation language in SB 240. The plant currently operates with a single clarifier that processes sewage for both Bosque Farms and Peralta. Without a second clarifier, the facility cannot take the existing unit offline for crucial maintenance without leaving operations fully exposed.

Mayor Chris Gillespie welcomed the award but was direct about the project's frustrating history. "This project is of the utmost importance and top priority for the village, and is shovel ready. This project has been funded a number of times and the money keeps being pulled back. We want to thank the governor and our legislators for fighting for us," he said.

Gillespie specifically credited Governor Lujan Grisham, her deputy chief of staff Diego Arencon, state Sen. Joshua A. Sanchez, and state Rep. Brian G. Baca for their roles in securing the appropriation. "We sincerely want to thank Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham for the awarded funding in Senate Bill 240. We would especially like to thank Diego Arencon the governor's deputy chief of staff, New Mexico Sen. Joshua A. Sanchez and New Mexico Rep. Brian G. Baca for their assistance," Gillespie said.

The state appropriation comes after a separate federal effort fell through. In early 2025, the village had been awarded $10 million under the Thomas R. Carper Water Sources Development Act of 2024, which President Joe Biden signed into law on January 4, 2025. That funding was subsequently recalled under the Trump administration.

Administratively, the village is still waiting for the state to make formal contact. According to village meeting documents, the clerk's office expects to receive official notice via email or certified mail outlining how the village can utilize the funding. Village Clerk Administrator Michael Angelo Limon's office has indicated it plans to combine the $10 million with CWSRF 073 funds to make the new clarifier project fully attainable. The village's council has also been presented with a proposed on-call engineer contract with Molzen & Corbin, whose representative Ryan Gamboa worked with the clerk's office to develop capital outlay materials. A wastewater treatment plant award presentation involving contractor Prodigy Builders and Utility Field Supervisor Joseph Sanchez was placed on the village agenda, alongside recognition of Maintenance Supervisor Emilio Flores for 20 years of service.

The Bosque Farms appropriation is part of a broader SB 240 package that includes nearly $28 million in Valencia County projects. Other items in the bill include $3 million for an acute care hospital in Valencia County, $2.48 million for a Valencia County administrative and district attorney building, $1.5 million for planning a new Los Lunas police station, and $1 million for a skate park in Belen.