With winter around the corner, the Village of Taos Ski Valley is starting the last of several water infrastructure improvement projects undertaken this year that should reduce the risk of system failures once freezing weather — and an influx of visitors — descends on the small community and ski resort.
Opening day for the 2023-24 winter season in Taos Ski Valley is scheduled for Nov. 23, with closing day tentatively set for April 7.
Located in steep terrain at 10,000 feet above sea level, the village faces unique challenges with regard to its domestic water delivery system. Aging pipes, valves and other components, as well as neglect on the part of some absentee property owners, contributed to several systemic failures last winter and spring. Catastrophic pressure loss not only impacted local residents and visitors, but forced Taos Ski Valley, Inc. to shut down its resort for days in April.
A new storage tank will soon be brought online, and a new altitude valve was replaced in the system's Green Tank on Twining Road; a system-wide, remote-read master meter and several new master valves were installed to identify in which zones future leaks are occurring, which should enable the village to more quickly address outages. Hundreds of feet of water lines were repaired or replaced over the summer, and the village is embarking on a system-wide meter replacement program for all customers — a few of whom do not currently have meters at all.
A water line replacement project on Cliff Hanger Loop is complete, and repairs have been finished in several other problem areas.
Mayor Pro-tem Tom Wittman told the Village of Taos Ski Valley Council during its regular meeting on Tuesday (Oct. 24) that he had given the green light to Village Administrator John Avila to proceed with a final, $300,000 project this season that will see a recirculation line installed near an upper dead-end point in the water system to help avoid freezing and maintain constant pressure.
In other village infrastructure news, electrical service undergrounding is proceeding slowly in Amizette, where residents still rely on overhead power lines for energy.
The importance of burying electrical utility lines underground, where they can't be damaged in high wind and other weather events that could spark a wildfire was highlighted in a discussion about a problematic power pole in the ski valley that began shooting sparks as a result of what was later determined to be a loose jumper line.
Straka called village police, who went to the scene. Chief Virgil Vigil said he called a Kit Carson line supervisor directly, and the company sent a crew within 15 minutes. No fire was reported.