Stevens Field, Archuleta County’s airport, is in need of a new water supply line and multiple new fire hydrants in order to meet fire flow requirements, according to Jace Johnson, head of airport maintenance.
Johnson gave a presentation to the Archuleta County Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) during a work session held on Aug. 13, explaining there is a need for a water line upgrade to increase water pressure and allow for more hangar expansion.
Johnson explained that the work is needed for more hangers to be constructed along the bravo taxiway and that the two fire hydrants currently located along the taxiway do not meet the required fire flow set by the Pagosa Fire Protection District (PFPD).
Fire flow refers to the minimum volume of water that must be available per minute from fire hydrants in order to be able to combat a fire in the area.
He noted that the two fire hydrants currently do not meet that requirement and one hydrant at a time produces roughly 830 gallons per minute (gpm). A flow of 1,500 gpm from each hydrant is needed in order to be in compliance with PFPD, Johnson noted.
Johnson mentioned that the airport is “well below where we need to be” in relation to fire flows.
He added that the airport is “kind of at a stopping spot” in terms of constructing new hangars due to not being able to provide sufficient fire flows.
“We really don’t have adequate fire suppression for the current, existing hangers,” Johnson said.
The bravo taxiway is approximately one-third of a mile long and currently has 58 hangars lining it, with the two hydrants approximately 525 feet apart, Johnson explained.
The PFPD would like to see the hydrants placed no more than 450 feet apart, he added.
Johnson explained that future hangars constructed could also require a stronger fire flow.
He noted that the PFPD requires the 1,500 gpm to flow for a minimum of two hours.
The existing fire hydrants are currently tied into a 6-inch water line that passes through the airport and extends to the east side of the bravo taxiway, serving the Piedra Estates and The Knolls subdivisions, Johnson explained.
Johnson explained that he began looking into this project last October and has worked with Durango-based company Plummer to have a water model performed that predicts the outcomes of different water line upgrades on the rest of the system.
Johnson noted the county previously approved the funds for the water model to be conducted, which totaled $6,253.
Johnson explained that the proposal is to have five fire hydrants installed, including reusing the existing two, to serve the current hangars with an additional two hydrants included in the design for expansion.
“A road boar must be performed to get the new line under Piedra Road,” he said, explaining that a new water line would tie into an existing 10-inch water line that runs along the west side of Piedra Road.
The new water line would extend onto the airport’s property running along Condor Drive, he added.
Johnson also mentioned the construction would need to navigate existing water, sewer and gas lines, “which could be problematic.”
The water model determined that a “deadhead” pipeline may not achieve the required fire flow rates, Johnson mentioned, explaining a deadhead pipeline means that the water line would not tie back into the rest of the water system and would only serve the airport’s fire hydrants.
If a 10-inch line is connected to the existing 6-inch line, “adequate fire flow should be achieved at all proposed hydrants,” Johnson said.
He explained that if both lines are connected, neighboring subdivisions could see increases of upward of 220 gpm depending on elevation, noting the water system in that area is a “gravity-fed system.”
Johnson explained that he met with Davis Engineering, who prepared preliminary and construction engineering proposals for the county to review.
He noted the proposal was broken into three segments: preliminary engineering, costing $8,000; design engineering, costing $10,750; and construction engineering, costing $17,500 — totaling $36,250.
Johnson also explained that County Manager Jack Harper suggested having exploratory boring conducted along the proposed water line route to better help determine the rock and soil composition of the area.
A proposal from Trautner Geotech for the boring of five 7-foot deep holes along the route is listed at a cost of $3,400, Johnson indicated, noting that if rocks are present then the project will likely increase in costs.
Commissioner Ronnie Maez commented he is considering how this helps improve fire suppression at the airport and improve flows in the adjacent neighborhoods.
“I’m not against increasing the fire flow,” Maez said, adding that he would like to see the Pagosa Area Water and Sanitation District (PAWSD) “put some skin in the game” by contributing to the project as well.
He also mentioned the PFPD could also be willing to contribute to funding the project, noting that these improvements would benefit the community as a whole.
“It helps improve everything,” Maez added, saying he would like to have more joint conversations with PAWSD and the PFPD.
Commissioner Warren Brown commented that he is “not opposed to increasing hangar leases” to help fund the project.
Brown noted that he’d be in favor of raising the fees “a bit,” but not “substantially” from the current rate of $1,500 per year.
Airport Manager Chris Torres explained that receiving funding from the state is a possibility, but that he would need “final numbers” on the actual cost of the project in order to apply for grant funding.
“We have a good chance of getting some funding from the state,” Torres said.
Maez commented that a joint effort between the county, PAWSD and the PFPD would likely increase the chance of receiving grant funding from the state.
Harper explained that in order to go after grant funding, the county first needs to move forward with having the preliminary engineering, design and construction proposals.
Commissioner Veronica Medina commented that the county needs to spend roughly $40,000 for the preliminary proposals to become eligible for future funding.
She then asked what the financial benefit would be to the county from the project, to which Torres stated that the county could see more hangar leases and increased fuel sales.
Brown expressed that the county needs to act on this to address public safety concerns.
“Now that we are aware that this is an issue, I believe we have an amount of obligation to fix it before there is an issue that comes about,” he said, “because if we know it exists and we don’t do anything to correct the issue, then I think the county certainly could be left holding the bag in a number of ways.”
The commissioners turned to County Attorney Todd Weaver for insight on how the county could be liable if an incident were to occur at the airport.
Weaver explained that it would depend on a number of factors and that, without a “specific factual scenario,” he is unable to say one way or the other.
Development Director Pam Flowers suggested the idea of creating an improvement district that could take on this project and potentially other future projects.
“I like the way you’re thinking there because it does improve a lot of the public interest in it,” Maez responded, mentioning the residents of Piedra Estates and The Knolls neighborhoods, saying, “They’re all taxpayers, too.”
The three commissioners agreed to direct staff to gather the information needed to move forward with the project, with Medina indicating the item could be placed on the BoCC’s regular meeting agenda scheduled for Aug. 20.
Harper noted that the amount of funds being requested is within his signing authority as county manager.
“I look at it from the public safety side,” Maez said, mentioning his experience as a firefighter responding to scenes without adequate water sources.“We need the fire flows.”
clayton@pagosasun.com
