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A seasonal roundup of Santa Fe's top 10 water users.
It was like we lived in Seattle.
Each day this past summer, usually in the early afternoon, Santa Fe's sun-soaked skies suddenly became choked with clouds.
Not the occasional stray flock of playful puffs, either. These were hordes of dark, furious beasts, swollen, it seemed, with decades' worth of rain. And when the clouds exploded, they spit angry torrents of water for hours on end, spawning street floods and strange wildflowers in a city that lives in the clutches of a relentless drought, a city that just experienced its driest winter in more than a century.
But in June, July and August, Santa Fe set records in rainfall, collecting a healthy total of 8.4 inches of
rain. It was the ninth highest rainfall for those three
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months in history and the wettest in almost 40 years, according to the National Weather Service.
"We were very lucky," Consuelo Bokum, director of the water project for 1000 Friends of New Mexico, says. "If we hadn't had these rains, we would have been in real trouble."
Despite the heavy rains, the drought isn't over, and Santa Fe remains a city that will always have to keep a close eye on water use.
"Droughts are not like a movie, where there's a definitive beginning and a definitive end," John Longworth, chief of the Water Use and Conservation Bureau for the Office of the State Engineer, says. "These are long-term events that go on for years."
As such, Santa Fe remains under Stage 2 water restrictions, which run the gamut from regulating the days residents can water their lawns to prohibiting new grass and sod planting to mandating that local restaurants and bars only serve water upon request. As the cold
season begins and the growing season comes to a close, residents should be
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curtailing their water use, according to Dan Ransom, the city's water conservation manager. "We live in a desert," Ransom says. "Water conservation always needs to be on our minds."
It's a message most Santa Feans heed. The city's water use per resident has decreased dramatically in recent years to an average of 108 gallons per capita per day, down from 168 gallons in 1995 ("per capita" is a figure that combines all types of water use per the number of residents in the city).
"We think people here in Santa Fe recognize water is a precious resource and are generally conservation-minded all the time,"
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city spokeswoman Laura Banish notes.
Well, most of them.
SFR reviewed utility records for June, July and August and found that, despite an intense community focus on conserving water, some people and businesses still use quite a lot of this precious resource. What follows are the top 10 residential and commercial water users for the summer of 2006.
The following residents, according to city records, are the top 10
residential water users in Santa Fe for June, July and August. As a result, they'll get hit with
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some serious surcharges for their wasteful ways, according to David Schmiedicke, the city's utility billing division director (who retired Sept. 21).
The going rate for water in Santa Fe is $4.09 per thousand gallons of water per month. Between May 1 and Oct. 31, any city resident who uses more than 12,000 gallons of water per month pays a fee of $2.50 per extra thousand of gallons of water used.
An additional surcharge-$5 per extra thousand gallons-is incurred if a resident exceeds 20,000 gallons per month during that same period.
But that's not all. Because the city is in a Stage 2 drought, there are special drought surcharges that apply throughout the entire year. If a resident uses more than 10,000 gallons of water per month, he or she also must pay an additional $15 for every extra thousand gallons of water used. And an additional surcharge-$25 per extra thousand gallons-is incurred if a resident exceeds 20,000 gallons per month.
Those listed below are well above every limit the city has tried to impose. According to Schmiedicke, they'll get hit with surcharges that could range from approximately $2,000 to $4,000, or maybe more.
Who says every drop doesn't count?
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1. CLIFF SKOGLUND
Senda de Andres
Water used for June, July and August: 352,100 gallons
Twenty-four times the average household
Skoglund's property soaked up a staggering average of 117,367 gallons per month and 3,827 gallons per day. Nobody else, including his nine companions in wasting water listed below, even came close. The owner of Geronimo and Señor Lucky's, Skoglund did not return repeated calls to his cell phone.
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2. CAROLE WYMAN
Camino del Monte Sol
Water used for June, July and August: 265,200 gallons
Eighteen times the average household
This local resident, the city's second highest residential water user during the summer, used 88,400 gallons per month and 2,883 gallons per day. Wyman surmises a faulty pump might be the problem.
"I'm surprised to hear it. I was cited once [by the city] and told there was a massive leak," Wyman, who notes that her house is "old and large," says. "Maybe there's another one. Maybe my pump isn't working. Now I shall look into this, as a result of your call."
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3. ARMAND BARTOS
Camino del Monte Sol
Water used for June, July and August: 215,800 gallons
Fifteen times the average household
Renowned architect Armand Bartos died in December 2005. But his property is still owned by the Bartos family. According to a caretaker for the Bartos estate, the property consists of a main house, a guesthouse and a third building. The estate's well-maintained gardens might be why Bartos' home used 71,933 gallons of water per month and 2,346 gallons per day during the summer months.
"Nobody lives there except for the caretaker, but I guess the sprinkler system was set and nobody adjusted it for the rain," Jonathan Altman, Bartos' stepson, says. "I guess I have to get in touch with the landscapers to have that adjusted. It's a fairly large property and intensively irrigated in some sections."
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4. ANTHONY ABBATE
Violet Circle
Water used for June, July and August: 208,400 gallons
Fourteen times the average household
Abbate used 69,467 gallons of water per month and 2,265 gallons of water per day. When contacted by SFR, Abbate would not comment and hung up the phone. An Anthony Abbate is listed as president of Santa Fe's Southwest Acupuncture College on the school's Web site.
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5. WILLIAM D ARMSTRONG
Alameda Street
Water used for June, July and August: 193,400 gallons
Thirteen times the average household
Armstrong used 64,467 gallons of water per month and 2,102 gallons of water per day. According to the Santa Fe Opera, a William D Armstrong served on the Opera's board of directors until his death this past summer.
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6. TONI KAPLAN
Circle Drive
Water used for June, July and August: 185,100 gallons
Almost 12½ times the average household
The Kaplans (Toni and James) used 61,700 gallons of water per month and 2,012 gallons of water per day. They did not return repeated phone calls seeking comment.
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7. LYNDEN GALLOWAY
La Avenida de San Marcos
Water used for June, July and August: 180,100 gallons
Twelve times the average household
Galloway used 60,033 gallons of water per month and 1,958 gallons of per day. The reason?
"I had a major leak, and by the time we realized it and got the plumber over there, it was too late," Galloway laments.
"Too late" meant a $6,000 water bill for two months and a $3,014 plumbing bill. It also meant having to replace his entire water line.
"It's embarrassing, but it's one of those things I can't help," Galloway says. "Am I a happy camper? No, I'm not. I was in shock. Then I went numb. But now, at least I'm back to my under-$75-a-month water bill."
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8. THEIS LOCKE
Calle Catalina
Water used for June, July and August: 179,000 gallons
Twelve times the average household
According to Rebecca Sanchez, who says she's house sitting at the Locke home, Locke died five years ago. That's strange, because his house soaked up 59,667 gallons of water per month and 1,946 gallons per day.
Sanchez referred SFR's calls to Locke's lawyer C Mott Woolley.
"I'm a lawyer, not a plumber," Woolley said, before hanging up.
A 1994 article in High Country News referred to a Locke Theis, also represented by Woolley. According to the story, Theis was one of the owners of a ranch in Rio Arriba County, which was sold to the Jicarilla Apache tribe in 1985.
When contacted a second time for clarification on his client's name, Woolley again refused comment and hung up.
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9. WILLIAM SINGER
Foothills Trail
Water used for June, July and August: 166,700 gallons.
Eleven times the average household
Singer did not return SFR's phone calls. His house sopped up 55,567 gallons of water per month and 1,812 gallons per day.
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10. CHRIS WEBSTER
Circle Drive
Water used for June, July and August: 163,400 gallons
Eleven times the average household
The Santa Fe realtor, who runs Webster Enterprises, used 54,467 gallons of water per month and 1,776 gallons of water per day during the summer. Webster says the culprit is a leak.
"We did discover a leak, and we've evaluated the situation," Webster says. "We have a small garden and a yard, and we're really conscientious with water. The water use was because of the leak."
The problem, Webster says, has been fixed.
"I'm embarrassed to be on this list. We're looking to make improvements to our irrigation system, which includes a rain system that turns off the irrigation when it rains," Webster says. "I'm alarmed at the reality of what has occurred."
The following businesses were the top 10 commercial water
users for June, July and August of this year. A few residential housing complexes qualify as businesses, according to
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city utility records, because those complexes have one central water meter-as opposed to separate, individual meters for each unit.
But unlike residential water use, it's difficult to create a standard or average for commercial entities; each business is different in terms of scale, scope and water needs.
According to Schmiedicke from the city, hotels such as the Eldorado have worked hard to bring down their water use. Conversely, Schmiedicke says he'd like to see the Quail Run condominium complex, which uses more water than all State of New Mexico buildings in Santa Fe combined, bring down its water usage.
The going rate for commercial water use in Santa Fe is the same as residential use-$4.09 per thousand gallons per month. The surcharges are different, though. Businesses must pay $1 per every thousand gallons used each month from May 1 to Oct. 31-irrigation season. During this period, if a business uses more than 12,000 gallons per month, it must pay $2.50 per additional thousand gallons used and $5 per additional thousand gallons used after 20,000 gallons.
Because of the current drought, businesses must pay an additional $2 for every thousand gallons of water used each month, year-round. If a business exceeds 10,000 gallons per month at any time during the year, it pays $15 for each additional thousand gallons used that month. If the business exceeds 20,000 gallons during any month of the year, it pays $25 for each additional thousand gallons used that month.
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1. CITY OF SANTA FE
1027 Camino Carlos Rey
Water used for June, July and August: 29,623,938 gallons
There's a simple explanation for the seemingly large amount of water used by the City of Santa Fe this summer-9,874,646 gallons per month and 321,999 gallons per day. "You have to remember that this includes all the parks and all the swimming pools in the entire city, like at Salvador Perez and Genoveva Chavez," Peter Ortega, the city's new utility billing division director, says. "It also includes all city buildings, too. The list goes on in terms of all [the] facilities we have."
2. QUAIL RUN ASSOCIATION, INC.
3101 Old Pecos Trail
Water used for June, July and August: 19,138,100 gallons
The Quail Run condo complex is the second largest commercial user of water in the entire city. That's quite an accomplishment, considering that the complex uses nearly 8 million more gallons of water than all state buildings in New Mexico combined, not to mention more
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water than St. Vincent Hospital.
Though the city would like to see Quail Run curb its water use, General Manager Marla Thompson says you have to factor in the 265 households, nine-hole golf course and health club. The club itself includes pools, hot tubs, tennis courts and a restaurant, among other amenities. Thompson points out that the club is open to the public and has approximately 615 members, not including Quail Run residents.
"I don't think that number is so high," Thompson says, referring to the water usage. "We're a residential development on 103 acres, but you also need to consider everything Quail Run includes."
To be sure, the development is essentially a small city. Using 6,379,367 gallons of water per month and 208,023 gallons of water per day, it acts like one too.
3. BUILDING SERVICES (STATE OF NEW MEXICO)
1190 St. Francis Drive
Water used for June, July and August: 11,565,209 gallons
While acknowledging that the state is bound to be one of the city's biggest water users, General Services Department PIO Alex Cuellar says the Building Services Division has been actively involved in several conservation measures, including xeriscaping projects at multiple locations. General Services does not have jurisdiction over all state buildings, Cuellar says in an e-mail response, "But our water usage has gone
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down every year for the past several years." Building Services also is rebidding a contract to replace all plumbing fixtures in state buildings and the sprinkler heads at the governor's mansion with water-saving heads.
The water usage for Building Services includes 30 different accounts and every state building in Santa Fe, including the Roundhouse. That translates into 3,855,070 gallons of water per month and 125,709 gallons of water per day.
4. TALAVERA APARTMENT HOMES
4129 Meadows Road
Water used for June, July and August: 8,705,000 gallons
Talavera Apartments has 296 units and more than 500 residents. That should explain the complex's high water use, General Manager Marlene Armijo says. Moreover, the complex, which is owned by a Santa Barbara-based company, has significantly reduced its landscaping and irrigating systems and closed one of its two pools in an effort to conserve, Armijo says. Indeed, Armijo guesses the problem might lie with the city's billing, not the 2,901,667 gallons of water per month and 94,620 gallons per day Talavera soaked up this summer.
"We've been challenged by the water company over the past five years," she says. "We've even had audits conducted because of the inconsistencies in billing."
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5. SANTA FE HIGH SCHOOL
2100 Yucca St.
Water used for June, July and August: 5,113,600 gallons
The city's largest high school is the only local educational institution listed among the city's top 10 commercial water users. "It seems like we had a lot of rain, so I don't know why it would be so high," Deputy Superintendent and Chief Operations Officer Bobbie Gutierrez says. "We did have a huge roofing project, some major construction for the performing arts and we redid some sidewalks. But we didn't have summer school."
Furthermore, Ivan Head Stadium and Field, which usually requires watering because of its natural grass surface, didn't need as much attention this summer because of the rains. But at 1,704,533 gallons per month and 55,583 gallons per day, some sort of activity demanded a lot of water.
Gutierrez says that the school district's general services and transportation departments are both on Santa Fe High's campus and could be one possible reason the school uses more water than other local schools. She says the district is now looking into the water use at Santa Fe High.
6. COUNTRY CLUB GARDENS
310 Airport Road
Water used for June, July and August: 4,588,900
The sprawling southside mobile home park needs a lot of water to supply its 340 homes. But with no serious landscaping and only one pool, General Manager Connie Martinez wonders if the complex is indeed using too much water.
"I don't understand why we'd be using so much when we had so much rain this year," she says. "There've been times when we've had to question our bills with the city. Everybody here follows the water restrictions."
Martinez notes that 1,200 people live in Country Club Gardens and very few have lawns, which leaves her a bit confused as to why the complex used 1,529,633 gallons per month and 49,879 gallons of water per day during the summer.
7. ST. VINCENT REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER
455 St. Michael's Drive
Water used for June, July and August: 4,262,500 gallons
If any business needs lots of water, it's a hospital. The 1,420,833 gallons of water per month and 46,332 gallons per day are used for everything from washing patients to scrubbing linens to cleaning hands and sterilizing medical tools, according to spokesman Arturo Delgado.
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8. GUARDIAN SANTA FE PARTNERSHIP (ELDORADO HOTEL)
309 W. San Francisco St.
Water used for June, July and August: 4,108,900 gallons
Managing Director Richard Verruni says Eldorado's high water use during the summer amounts to a straightforward explanation:
"We have 219 guest rooms, and the summer is our busiest time," Verruni says. "We respect water. We collect water. And we use it wisely. We also have more tourists that come here during the summer than any other time of the year."
Specifically, Eldorado's guests used a total of 1,369,633 gallons of water per month and 44,662 gallons per day during the summer.
9. LA POSADA SANTA FE, LLC
330 Palace Ave.
Water used for June, July and August: 3,594,100 gallons
With its 157 rooms and all the upkeep that goes into the machinations of running a hotel, one could argue that La Posada also has a significant need for water.
Nonetheless, Steve Bello, corporate director
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of operations for RockResorts and Vail Resorts Lodging Company (La Posada's parent group), says he'd like to see the hotel do more to conserve.
"We spend a lot of time on environmental issues. We're very much into wind power, and we give the guest the option of having their sheets changed every four days or two days," Bello says. "As an organization, we're constantly trying to do more."
By implementing a new program designed to identify gaps in energy and environmental efficiency (among other things), La Posada hopes to cut down on the 1,198,033 gallons of water per month and 39,066 gallons of water per day it used this past summer.
10. RANCHO VIZCAYA APARTMENTS
2491 Sawmill Road
Water used for June, July and August: 3,500,200 gallons
With 416 units, two pools, two hot tubs and extensive landscaping needs, there's little doubt as to why Rancho Vizcaya Apartments used so much water this summer.
The complex's manager was out of town at press time, so it's difficult to tell whether the 1,166,733 gallons per month and 38,046 gallons per day used this summer were absolutely necessary.
Who's Using What
A look at other Santa Feans' water use-including our own.
David Coss, Mayor
Otowi Drive
Water used for June, July and August: 13,700 gallons
Per month: 4,567 gallons
Per day: 149 gallons
7 percent less than the average household
Larry Delgado, Former Mayor
Camino Corto
Water used for June, July and August: 15,900 gallons
Per month: 5,300 gallons
Per day: 173 gallons
7 percent more than the average household
Andy Dudzik, Santa Fe Reporter Publisher
Young Street
Water used for June, July and August: 26,100 gallons
Per month: 8,700 gallons
Per day: 284 gallons
76 percent more than the average household
Julia Goldberg, Santa Fe Reporter Editor
Morning Drive
Water used for June, July and August: 5,400 gallons
Per month: 1,800 gallons
Per day: 59 gallons
63 percent less than the average household
George Johnson, writer and blogger
Camino San Acacio
Water used for June, July and August: 21,900 gallons
Per month: 7,300 gallons
Per day: 238 gallons
48 percent more than the average household
Mark Oswald, Albuquerque Journal Santa Fe/North Editor
Calle Contento
Water used for June, July and August: 17,000 gallons
Per month: 5,667 gallons
Per day: 185 gallons
15 percent more than the average household
Bill Richardson, Governor
Mansion Drive
Water used for June, July and August: 5,200 gallons
Per month: 1,733 gallons
Per day: 57 gallons
65 percent less than the average household
Richardson's residential account does not include the grounds of the governor's mansion and the mansion's adjacent office. Don't worry, we have that too:
Governor's Grounds and Office
Mansion Drive
Water used for June, July and August: 601,100 gallons
Per month: 200,367 gallons
Per day: 6,534 gallons
Santa Fe City Councilors (in descending order according to their summer water use)
1. Rebecca Wurzburger, District 2
Camino de Cruz Blanca
Water used for June, July and August: 42,400 gallons
Per month: 14,133 gallons
Per day: 461 gallons
186 percent more than the average household
2. Patty Bushee, District 1
Mesa Vista Street
Water used for June, July and August: 31,700 gallons
Per month: 10,567 gallons
Per day: 345 gallons
114 percent more than the average household
Bushee has applied for a leak credit, according to city billing records.
3. Karen Heldmeyer, District 2
East Berger Street
Water used for June, July and August: 23,800 gallons
Per month: 7,933 gallons
Per day: 259 gallons
61 percent more than the average household
4. Matthew Ortiz, District 4
Nizhoni Drive
Water used for June, July and August: 19,800 gallons
Per month: 6,600 gallons
Per day: 215 gallons
34 percent more than the average household
5. Ronald Trujillo, District 4
Siringo Rondo South
Water used for June, July and August: 17,600 gallons
Per month: 5,867
Per day: 191
19 percent more than the average household
6. Carmichael Dominguez, District 3
Solecito Loop
Water used for June, July and August: 14,600 gallons
Per month: 4,867 gallons
Per day: 159 gallons
Use equivalent to the average household
7. Miguel Chavez, District 3
Camino Porvenir
Water used for June, July and August: 12,200 gallons
Per month: 4,067 gallons
Per day: 133
17 percent less than the average household
8. Chris Calvert, District 1
Cibola Drive
Water used for June, July and August: 6,800 gallons
Per month: 2,267 gallons
Per day: 74 gallons
54 percent less than the average household
