RIO RANCHO, N.M. – Lt. Col. Jerre Hansbrough, commander, USACE-Albuquerque District, joined Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull and other USACE and Rio Rancho representatives for a walk-around tour of the city’s Water Tank #9, Aug. 9, 2023.
The water tank is a 3.0-million-gallon steel reservoir located northwest of the Rio Rancho city center. The $4 million project was constructed under the USACE Section 595 Environmental Infrastructure Program. Construction on the tank began in November 2021 and was completed in November 2022.
Water Tank #9 is part of a planned three-phase project to replace the water well and tank at the site and will improve system efficiency and maintain the quality of drinking water for Rio Rancho residents. Future additions at the site include a new well an and arsenic treatment facility.
Rio Rancho is currently partnering with the district on the new Water Well # 9, which is currently under construction and expected to be completed by the end of 2023. The original Well #9 was drilled in 1987 and produced 950 gallons of water per minute. It began to fail in 2018 and was abandoned. As part of the new (replacement) well drilling, the original well was capped.
According to the city of Rio Rancho, the project’s final improvements include adding a security fence, replacing the arsenic-treatment facility that can treat more water, and laying new 16-inch distribution water lines. The three phases are expected to take a total of approximately three years to complete.
This three-phase project will allow Rio Rancho to bring Well #9 back into use, producing millions of gallons of water for the city’s growing needs, especially in and around the Enchanted Hills area.