Las Acequias de Placitas

URGENT MESSAGES!

July 17th

 Dear members,

There will NOT be a water shut off tonight.  Please keep up the good work of conserving water. We have a long hot summer to get through and I'll try my best to keep everyone in the information loop. 

Thank you

Noe'

July 17th

Dear members,
Unless we can lower the water usage in the village, there is the possibility that the domestic water may be shut off overnight to allow the tanks to recover. 

f necessary, water will be turned off at 10:30 pm tonight and turned back on tomorrow morning at 5:00 am.  The decision as to whether it is necessary will be made late this afternoon.

I would advise members to prepare in advance so you're not caught off guard. In our household, we put a bucket of water in the bathroom in case someone absolutely needs to flush the toilet and assure some bottles of drinking water are available.

I'll keep you posted.

Noe'

July 16th 

Dear members,

The Board of Commissioners of Las Acequias de Placitas received reports that member households are using domestic water for outside irrigation. Las Acequias has communicated several times to the membership that this is strictly forbidden by Article IX, Section 11, of the Amended Bylaws, which is reprinted as follows:

Illegal Water Use. 

All persons, whether or not they are members, are prohibited from withdrawing water from the acequias or community domestic water system, through any and all means, without the express consent of and as supervised by the Mayordomo or the System Operator, under penalty of federal and state laws. The community domestic water system is for domestic use and livestock watering, except for livestock raised for commercial purposes. All other uses of domestic water are prohibited, including outside irrigation with a hose or otherwise.

This abuse is particularly egregious considering the current severe drought situation our community is experiencing AND IT WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. Violators are in danger of having their domestic water restricted. Last month's water meter readings indicated that many households have taken the water shortage seriously, adapting their actions to reduce their consumption and it was reflected in their having lower meter readings. We applaud these efforts and encourage everyone to do their part to conserve. It saddens us that we have some members whose selfish behavior threatens all of us with water shutoffs. 

Here are a few ways we can all save water: Learn to read your meter and read it frequently to learn how much water your activities consume. Flush toilets only when necessary. While you wait for hot water, collect the water. Use a 5-gallon bucket in your kitchen and shower to collect grey water for your garden. Limit shower time to 5 minutes or less. Turn off the water while you’re washing your hair. Reuse your towels. Run your dishwasher only when full. Do one large load of laundry rather than multiple small loads. Test your toilet for leaks, which can be silent. Fix a running/leaking toilet. Fix a dripping faucet. Don’t run the water when you brush your teeth or shave. Keep a pitcher of drinking water in your refrigerator.  Use a water bottle or designate a drinking glass to minimize dirtying dishes. Scrape your dishes rather than rinsing them prior to putting in the dishwasher. Use a dishpan in your sink rather than running water to wash and rinse. Check outside for leaking faucets. Run your evaporative cooler with the fan only (no water) at night to bring in cool air. Harvest rain and greywater.

Share YOUR water saving tips with us so we can pass them along to our community.  It is going to take ALL OF US working cooperatively to get through this hot dry summer.

Thank you.

Carolyn Kennedy 

Noe' Charboneau

July 14th
Dear members,

The current level of water usage is not sustainable.  We are experiencing periods of very high use. If we cannot lower our usage, we will have no choice but to start shutting the domestic water off a couple of nights per week to allow the tanks to recover. Please, be mindful of your consumption. 

The springs at Ciruela and Tanquecito, which are our two main sources of domestic water, are outputting a combined total of 17 gallons per minute.  For comparison, last year on July 3, 2024, their output was 176 gallons per minute.  I believe the numbers are self-explanatory as to why we're having to work so hard to keep the domestic tanks filled and why there is very little water left over to fill the irrigation ponds. 

This is why we're asking all members to be hyper conservative in their water consumption and to keep within their assigned irrigation times.  There simply is very little water and we need to share it equally.

Members may have noticed a pressure issue yesterday that was due to a power outage at the SCADA system, which is the system used to switch between our two spring sources.  It has been resolved but will require the modem to be replaced as soon as possible.

Finally, village gossip and social media have made some wild claims about changes being made to the Board of Commissioners.  This is untrue.  The Board continues to be Carolyn Kennedy as President, Robert Lucero as Secretary and Noe' Charbonneau serving as Treasurer.  Elections for the Board of Commissioners for Las Acequias de Placitas, which happens every 2 years, will be held this December.  

Importantly, nominations for candidates will occur at a meeting held in October.  As someone who has worked diligently for their community for the last 3 1/2 years and knows how much work the other two Board members have put into trying to maintain and improve our community, I'm disheartened that we have some members who disparage us and the work we're doing.  Rather than participating in the spreading of wild rumors, I implore anyone who has questions to ask them, and they'll be answered to the best of our ability.  

Thank you for saving water.

Noe'

July 1st

Dear members,

Water meter reading will happen tomorrow Wednesday July 2nd. Please make sure your gates are unlocked and the readers have access to your meter.  

Also there will be no irrigation on Friday July 4th.  And if it rains today, there will NOT be irrigation on Wednesday.

Noe'

URGENT WATER NOTICE!

June 9th

Dear members,

The village is experiencing a dire water shortage situation, and we require everyone to curtail their water consumption as the current supply does not meet the demand. We are utilizing both Tanquecito spring (averaging 11 gallons/minute) and Ciruela spring (averaging 9 gallons/minute; however, the water usage by the membership is exceeding this and tank levels are falling. 

This is an unsustainable situation. If we want to avoid having domestic water shut offs, like we experienced in 2018, everyone needs to do their part saving water. If you have renters or house sitters, please share this information with them too. Post water conservation reminders in your AirBnB.

The majority of our members are water-wise, but we do have some households that are consuming much more water than others. As all of our members know, our Bylaws state that it is strictly forbidden to use domestic water for outside watering. 

The Board intends to send letters to those members whose households are metered and are consistently using in excess of 200 gallons per day. The letter will state that if their water usage is not drastically reduced by the next meter reading in early July, they will be given a 15-day deadline to explain why they are still using excessive water. If there is no response, then a follow-up letter will be sent stating that absent any further response, their domestic water will be shut off in 15 days. 

Another matter is that some members have not paid their water usage fees for many months, despite numerous reminders from our Treasurer. In those cases, the same procedure will apply as outlined previously: Those who have not paid their water usage bills and have not made any meaningful attempts to set up a payment plan will receive a letter from the Board giving them a deadline of 30 days to either pay their arrears or make arrangements to do so. If there is no response, then they will be given an additional deadline of 15 days after which their water will be shut off. 

We do not like to have to resort to these measures, but in view of the continuing drastic decrease in our water supply, it is not fair to those members to have to bear the consequences of those who are not using water conservatively and those who are not paying their bills. It must be noted that the water fees received are used to pay for costs, including labor and infrastructure improvements that are not covered by our capital outlay grants.

Please start reading your water meter frequently so you can get a better understanding of how your water consumption is affected by your activities. Read it daily. Keep a log of your readings, date and time. Learn exactly how much water your household consumes. If you’re running a swamp cooler, please read your meter to find out how many gallons of water it uses per hour of use and factor that into your daily consumption. Make sure the float is working and you’re not leaking water from the evaporative cooler.

If you have a dripping faucet or a running toilet, fix them immediately. Do you need to change out the flapper in your toilet? It’s an inexpensive and easy fix. Look around your house and property for places where water might be going to waste and take care of it.

At Friday’s membership meeting it was brought up that sometimes doing these small necessary repairs can be overwhelmingly helpful. One of our wonderful members volunteered to be part of a group that helps other members. It could be as simple as showing you how to read your meter, doing a small toilet repair, helping to figure out a leak or??? 

We need other members to step up who have skills and knowledge that they’d be willing to use to help their neighbors. If you’re interested in being a volunteer or having a volunteer come help you, please contact me. 

We are also interested in hearing what you do to save water in your household. Please share with me your tips and suggestions so we can share with our village. No one wants to have water shut offs.  

LAdP BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

By Noe Charbonneau, Treasurer

June 4th

Dear members,

Water meters will be read today June 4th so please make sure your gates are unlocked and the readers have access to your meter.  If you text or email pics of your meter please do so.

This is also a reminder there is a general membership meeting this Friday at 6:30 at the Senior Center.  Please try to attend as there is very important information about our current water situation that will be presented.

Thank you,

Noe'

May 28th

Dear members,
There will be a general membership meeting for Las Acequias on Friday June 6th at the Placitas Community Senior Center at 6:30 pm.  The agenda is posted below on this page in LADP DOWNLOADABLE FILES.

Please plan to attend.

Noe'

May 8th

Dear members,
Due to all of the beautiful rain we've received the last few days, the ground is saturated and there will be no irrigation tomorrow Friday, May 9th.

Noe'

May 6th

Dear members,

The spring output has dropped down to an average of 12 gallons/minute.  This is excessively high usage and means our system is currently not sustainable. 

The system operator is beginning to supplement our domestic supply with water from Tanquecito springs.  As he switches this online, some households in the upper area may experience a temporary water shutdown as it transitions. 

This is a serious situation that requires that ALL members  practice good water conservation so we can avoid having to shut off the system to allow our tanks to replenish.  This has happened in the past. 

I have heard from several members that they have observed their neighbors watering their gardens with domestic water. 

 I remind you that this is not allowed.  

Please capture and use ONLY your grey water in your garden.  

Thank you for practicing good water conservation methods as we work together to avoid shutoffs.

Noe'

April 19th

Dear members,

The 2025 LAdP Irrigation Schedule is now posted below in the LADP DOWNLOADABLE FILES section below on this homepage.

Thanks for your patience,

Noe'

April 18th

Dear irrigators,

The watering season will open on Monday April 21st.  Until the recovery rates of the ponds can be determined, each irrigator will be getting water every other week and for 1 hour only. 

For the week beginning on the 21st, the schedule will be Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  The following week it will be Tuesday then Thursday.  

ALL WEEKEND IRRIGATORS HAVE BEEN MOVED TO NEW DAYS!  

I'll be issuing the 2025 schedule soon.  Please check it to confirm your irrigation day.   As we have the last few years, watering will again be top down.  The gates up at the ponds will be opened around 6:30 in the morning.  So those irrigators at the top of the run need to be ready to water for one hour then release it to the next irrigator down the line.  

Any pipes in the ditch will remain capped until it is your hour.  If you're collecting water during another person's day and time, you will forfeit your right to irrigate.  

This will probably be a dry summer.  We ALL need to conserve and share what water there is equally.  

Thanks,

Noe'

April 15th

Dear members,
Harvey is going to run water through the main ditches tomorrow starting at 8 o'clock to clean them after ditch day. 

Please do not take any of the water.  Do not open your gates. Make sure Harvey and his crew are not assaulted by your dogs or anything/anyone else.  

This is also a reminder that you should have removed or capped any pipes that you've placed in the ditches or else you risk losing your irrigation right. There will be inspections done to ensure that all pipes are removed or capped. 

Thank you,

Noe'

Apri l 9th

Dear members,

Today, during ditch marking, it came to the attention of the majordomo that there are multiple irrigators along the main ditches who have placed PVC pipes into the ditch.  These pipes are collecting any time water flows past, which is not allowed. Irrigators should only obtain water during their allotted time. 

These pipes are not legal gates.  Those who have pipes in the ditch need to either remove them or ensure that they are capable of being capped.  They should ONLY be uncapped during the member’s assigned time.

If it is found that the member is collecting water other than that time that is allotted to them, the member risks losing their irrigation right. 

Please remedy these issues prior to the beginning of irrigation. 

Thank you,

Noe'

January 18th

Dear members,
Finally, LAdP has gotten "somewhat modern" regarding bill payments!  We can now accept ACH payments.  This requires that I email your invoice to you.  When you receive it, you'll find there is an option to pay your invoice online and you'll be prompted to input your bank's routing number and your account number.  While LAdP will be paying a 1% fee to use this service, it will be partially offset by postage, printer toner, paper and envelope savings.  Also, the amount of time spent processing the billing will be reduced.  I encourage everyone to give this a try.

If you want to use this service you must send me an email letting me know you want to receive your invoice online and include the following information:

NAME ON THE ACCOUNT

PHYSICAL ADDRESS OF THE ACCOUNT

ACCOUNT NUMBER (IF KNOWN)

I'm going to hold off sending the 4th quarter 2024 bills via USPS until Monday, January 20th, hoping I hear back from many our members.  Of course, bill payment via check using USPS will obviously remain an option.  

As always, thank you for your patience as we try to embrace new technology,

Noe'

January 5th

Dear members,

The announcement for the second fire and emergency meeting scheduled for February 25th at the library is available in the LADP DOWNLOADABLE FILES section of this homepage. 

This meeting will continue to deal with planning for wildfires and emergency evacuations that may be of interest to our membership. 

Noe'

October 26th 

Dear members,

There seems to be some confusion regarding the annual fee for the mayordomo's compensation.  This year, it is being billed as a separate line item and is included in the third quarter of 2024 billing.  According to the Bylaws of Las Acequias de Placitas, the compensation of the mayordomo is set at the annual meeting, which was held in December of last year.  The fee is assessed to every  household in the village, as outlined in Article VI Section 8 Compensation of Mayordomo. 
 
The fee determined at the December 2023 meeting for 2024 was $50 per household.  And for 2025 it's set to be increased to $65 per household.

The commissioners of Las Acequias de Placitas have been working hard to keep operating expenses down in spite of the ever increasing costs of goods and services over the last few years. 

 I hope this clarifies any questions or concerns you may have had.
Thank you,
Noe' Charbonneau

October 24th
Dear members,
Today I am dropping the 3rd quarter of 2024 water bills into the mail so you should receive them soon.  A big thank you to those members who pay their bill in full and in a timely manner.  

Several members have however allowed their account to fall into arrears.  If you are one of these members, please address your outstanding bill.  A steady income is necessary for Las Acequias de Placitas to function and maintain our system providing you with safe, reliable drinking and irrigation water. 

On a different note, a community emergency preparedness meeting will be held on November 14th that should be of interest to our members. The announcement can be read in the LADP DOWNLOADLE FILES section below, near the bottom of this page.

Concerned citizens of Placitas are hosting a briefing for Placitas community members on actions to prepare for and react to a declaration of an emergency in the Placitas area. It is scheduled for 7:00-8:00pm, November 14, at the Placitas Community Library . 

This briefing is envisioned to be the first of quarterly briefings by emergency agencies that will focus on how homeowners and residents can prepare to react to emergencies and evacuation notices.

The focus will be on how to prepare ahead of time to be ready to evacuate their homes on short notice and how to evacuate the area, given the limited egress options.  And alternatively, if evacuation is not required, how best to respond as individuals.

Noe' 

Monday June 24th

 Dear Members,
The current Consumer Confidence Report 203 for our drinking water is posted below for your information in the LADP DOWNLOADABLE FILES section.

Thank you

Noe'

Tuesday November 7th 2023

Good morning,
Yesterday our system operator cleaned the injector in the chlorinator that provides the chlorine used to sanitize our drinking water.  

This morning he tested the residual amounts along our system and has adjusted the amount of chlorine and frequency of the injections of chlorine.  This was necessary as the spring flows have diminished and the amount of water flowing through the system has decreased.  All of the sampling he performed this morning along our system had chlorine residual results well within the normal levels required for safe drinking water. 

Thank you

Noe'

Friday July 7, 2023

Good morning,
This month, our System Operator Jacob Maes will be assisting in the collection of five water samples within the village to be tested for Lead and Copper. These tests are performed every 3 years. 

The residences where the samples are collected are the same locations every time and have been designated by the state.  Jacob will be contacting the residents at these locations and providing them with a collection bottle and specific instructions for how the sample is to be obtained. 

Thank you for your cooperation in this important testing.

 Also for your information the  2022  Water Quality Report (the latest report) is posted below on the page in the LADP DOWNLOADABLE FILES Section.

 Noe'

Wednesday May 10, 2023  

Dear members,
Recently a Las Acequias de Placitas member made an anonymous complaint to the New Mexico Environmental Department regarding insufficient disinfection of our water.  

In response, NMED sent out a compliance officer to perform sampling at various sites around the village.  On April 27th, 2023 the compliance officer collected several water samples and tested for free chlorine, water pressure, and the presence of microbiological contamination. 

All sites sampled had measurable free chlorine residuals, water pressures at each site were 77 p.s.i. or greater, and no microbial contamination was detected.  Las Acequias de Placitas water passed all of the New Mexico Environmental Department requirements and it was determined our water is safe and properly disinfected.  The Bureau of Drinking Water will be following up with the member who made the anonymous complaint.

Our System Operator continually monitors our chlorine levels and doses our water as needed in an attempt to not over chlorinate our delicious mountain spring water. The current pump and flow rates make this challenging, but the System Operator has been vigilant in monitoring for free chlorine throughout the system and at the end of the line on Camino de los Pueblitos and adjusting accordingly. 

We can be assured that our water is clean and safe.

Las Acequias de Placitas