Featured

Water Conservation and the Protection of the Underground Infrastructure

Tim Cynova, Chief Engineer, Water Field Systems for the Albuquerque and Bernalillo County Water Authority has worked for the company less than four years and only a little more than one year in his current position. But his more than 30 years of working with underground utilities has certainly prepared him for the challenge.

“I worked ten years at the power plant and then 20 years for PNM in distribution for Albuquerque and transmission across the state.” Tim said, “I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to come to work here. There are a lot of similarities in that I’m still working in distribution, but there certainly has been a lot to learn at the same time.”

His department’s responsibilities include providing line locates for the water system. “There are seven spotters and one supervisor keeping up with the more than 14,000 locates called in annually for our utility.” Each locate request is critical for the protection of the state’s largest water utility system that services more than 185,000 meters.

“The locate requests range from design and survey requests, to bid or construction locates. All locate requests are important, not just to the caller, but to the Water Authority as well,” Tim stated. “We want to protect our infrastructure, and we want to be seen as a good partner to those who rely on us to help them dig safely.”
Last summer Tim was seated on the New Mexico One Call Board of Directors. He said, “I was given the opportunity to represent my company and the industry in part because our line spotters are under my jurisdiction. The thinking was that it was a better fit, since many of our statewide issues are identifying and solving problems that deal with the protection of underground facilities.”

When asked about the benefits of serving on the Board, Tim replied, “Certainly, it gives you a better appreciation of the different perspectives brought to the table. I think that helps build stronger relationships and that ultimately benefits everyone. My location allows me to more easily attend meetings, and I can be more actively involved in the process. There is a great need to learn to communicate more effectively the important message of damage prevention through working together.”

When asked about some of the biggest challenges his department faces on a daily basis, he answered with a laugh, “That can change in a hurry. It ranges from helping the new locating company employees find their way around our area, to creating the environment internally for success. Our spotters are working hard to recognize the value of each request. We believe that cooperating with home owners, excavators, and other utility companies will pay huge dividends.”

The Water Authority has an ambitious conservation policy. Driven by a report from the U.S Geological Survey in the early 1990s, that stated the Albuquerque’s aquifer was a finite resource, steps have since been taken to ensure that the Water Authority provided the necessary drinking water to sustain growth and quality of life. Tim stated that the per capita usage had reduced from 250 gallons per person per day (gpcd) to about 161 gpcd at the end of 2008 and the Water Authority’s internal goal is 150 gpcd by 2014.

He continued, “The San Juan Chama drinking water project is critical to our system, but more importantly to our citizens.” The critical nature of the raw water line is such that the Water Authority has issued ‘Administrative Instruction Number 9’. This document is required for anyone working around the San Juan Chama transmission lines.
Tim said, “We have a raw water line from the river that is 72 inches in diameter. Other lines are as large as 66 inches in diameter. The impact of hitting such a line would be astronomical. Costs associated with a damage to these lines could include property damage, perhaps injury or death, and just the difficulty of repairing something so massive.”

He went on, “That’s the reason for the Administrative Instruction. Of course, every notice of intent to dig begins with a call to New Mexico One Call. We just want to make sure that everyone knows that there are additional requirements when planning to work around the San Juan Chama infrastructure.”

In conclusion, Tim said, “One Call is the way to start a project. Now it is up to all of us as stakeholders to make the process work. I encourage folks to call New Mexico One Call before they start that project, and then give us a chance to work with them to make their project successful for them and for the Water Authority.”

That sounds like a fair deal. Sometimes we are defined at the end of the day by what we did. Other times by what we didn’t do.

Call before you dig … it’s the right thing to do.