ENMU looking to conservation for savings

Eastern New Mexico University students will see some changes in the way they shower, drink water and flush their toilets resulting in thousands of dollars saved next year.

ENMU officials received approval from the ENMU Board of Regents to get bids for construction work to implement a cost saving program involving water and energy conserving fixtures throughout the campus. Scott Smart, vice president for Business Affairs at ENMU, said university officials will go out for bids for the facilities upgrades in January and hope to start work on the upgrades by February.

“I think it’s important because I believe our water costs will increase,” Smart said.

The goal is to save 17 million gallons of annual water consumption, along with other energy cost reductions.

University officials hired the Energy Solutions division of TAC Americas out of Carrollton, Texas to do the design and implementation of the program.

Total implementation cost of the project is $734,704, according to ENMU documents. However, TAC representatives are projecting an annual savings of $58,040 once the upgrades are in place.

Smart said the energy savings are guaranteed by TAC officials or they will pay the difference of their projections.

TAC officials will implement a low-flow program throughout the campus and installation will also include irrigation control systems to avoid watering during or immediately after rain. The designs will call for new faucets, shower heads, water closet flush valves, urinal flush valves and new sensors for the irrigation time clocks on the irrigation system.

Notable projects TAC has completed include the City of Dallas, which received a new energy management system covering six city facilities, and Texas Woman’s University’s $19.3 million project, according to the Energy Vortex Web site.

It comes at a time when water rates appear to be on the rise in Portales. Portales is one of the eight entities involved in a proposed $358 million project which would pump water from Ute Lake into eastern New Mexico cities and towns.

“Based on estimated construction costs today, the average residential water user will see an increase of $7 per month (as construction goes forward),” Debi Lee, city manager, said . Based on the average residential water user who consumes 7,000 gallons of water a month.

If the Ute Water pipeline project is not funded, residents may see even higher water-rate increases.

“Based on estimates provided by the Ute Water consultants purchasing additional wells, land, etc. would have an increase on the citizens as well,” Lee said. “The increase is estimated to be $15.30 per month.”

Lee said ENMU, the Abengoa ethanol plant, Portales Schools and the City of Portales are the biggest water users.