The Brazos Mutual Domestic Water Consumers Association (BMDWCA) Board of Directors (BOD) works to operate and maintain the water system and to ensure that each system member has a reliable supply and acceptable quantity and quality of water to satisfy their residential needs. Much of the BOD efforts are devoted to maintaining compliance with State and Federal regulations regarding water system operation, testing of water for health-related parameters, and regulatory requirements for training and certification of our system operators, maintenance workers and members of the BOD. Improvements are continuing in the areas of water system infrastructure and operation, as well as record keeping, business operations and the financial health of the BMDWCA.
The BMDWCA is similar to a public water utility with a service area that encompasses approximately 120 acres in the Brazos Canyon. The service area is roughly bounded to the east by Corkin’s property, to the south by the Brazos River, to the west by Serenity Drive and to the north by Blue Jay Lane and Hilltop Road. The Association has 128 user members, 16 non-user members and one (1) commercial-user member. The BMDWCA maintains approximately 20,000 feet of water distribution lines and two (2) storage tanks with total storage capacity of approximately 86,000 gallons. The utility derives water from four water wells and occasionally from one spring intake structure. The utility produces approximately 9 acre-feet of water annually.
The Association is regulated by the New Mexico Environment Department-Drinking Water Bureau in matters of maintaining and demonstrating compliance with regulatory drinking water quality standards and system design, materials and maintenance. The Association is regulated by the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer in matters related to maintaining adequate water rights to meet our demand. The Association is also regulated by the New Mexico Public Utilities Regulation Commission in matters related to authorized service area and rights of way.
By law, we are required to have a budget that allows us to keep track of expenses and income to operate the water system. We are a small water system with limited resources. We obtain finances for operating and maintaining the system from annual fees shared among all Association members. The annual fees are periodically reviewed and adjusted by the BOD to ensure that adequate budget is available for recurring system and financial operating costs, plus reasonable contingency costs for system repairs. Since portions of our distribution system are dated and near or past their design service life, we also maintain a fund to underwrite costs for annual system upgrades and line replacements to ensure a well-maintained system.
Work of the Association is performed by a handful of skilled and dedicated professional contractors, as well as by the generous donation of time by members of the BOD. The BOD asks you to take ownership of your water utility and do your part to ensure we have a good system now and in the future. Consider serving a term on the BOD. When you open your faucet and water comes out, please remember the effort and generosity of your neighbors who helped to make it possible.