Sandoval County is making progress with plans to convert brackish water from the Rio Puerco basin to potable water.

The county’s development director, Michael Springfield, is excited about the project that could possibly provide water service to new industries in the western part of the county.

“The goal is to create 30,000 industrial jobs,” he said. “We’ll have jobs and industry on the West Side for West Side people so they don’t have to cross the river. Jobs, jobs, jobs.”

(Use arrows above to view more photos)

The desalinization plant, 12 miles west of Rio Rancho, is an integral part of the county’s master plan for Rio Rancho Estates. Other planned components include the Northwest Loop, which will connect US 550 with I-40, residential development, a golf course, hotel, airport and commercial businesses.

Last Thursday, county officials and engineers gave a tour of the desalinization plant.

Universal Asset Manage-ment, who was awarded a $600,000 contract by the county in April, is conducting a pilot test to determine the feasibility of turning the raw water into drinkable water. The firm will have a report to the county commissioners next month.

In October of 2008, county officials claimed initial test results of a deepwater aquifer in the Rio Puerco basin showed enough brackish water to meet the region’s water needs for at least 100 years.

The results showed that, when purified at a desalination plant, the aquifer could produce 43,200 acre feet of potable water a year, for the next century.

Gary Lee, president of Universal Asset Management, said the goal is to convert every 5.3 to 5.6 million gallons of raw water into 5 million gallons of potable water.

He explained that 5 million gallons a day is the sweet spot to start and it could potentially expand to 30 million gallons a day.

The desalinization process takes out the chemicals and minerals from the water. Some of the byproducts that could be marketed, Lee explained, include table salt and agricultural lime. He estimated that 40 to 100 tons of salt and 30 tons of lime could be produced in a day.

But, don’t think the county will get rich off that perceived large amount. Lee said in the salt and lime industry, that’s a relatively small amount.

Paul Gorder, senior vice president of engineering firm Camp Dresser & McKee Inc., said the overall project will cost $47 million and Springfield said it would take at least three years to be completed.

He said the county is pursuing federal and state funds, as well as revenue bonds and charging user fees.

Springfield said the cost of that water would be $6 per 1,000 gallons at the rate of five million gallons a day. Springfield explained that as the plant increases its production to 25 million gallons a day, the cost of the water will decrease. He said the goal is to reduce it to $3 per 1,000 gallons.

Converting dirty water into potable water is a multi-step and complex process.

First, is the stripping process, where the iron, carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide must be stripped from the water. Next, is the clarification process, where the arsenic, silica and radionuclides are removed. Then, comes the softening process to remove calcium and magnesium. Fourth, is the media filtrate process, where the solid removals are suspended. Then, the ion exchange process removes more calcium and magnesium. Next, comes the reverse osmosis filtration where salts are removed and finally, the water is disinfected.

Water from the aquifer will be produced from three joint water claims that Sandoval County has on land in the Rio Puerco Valley that is owned by the King Ranch, the state Land Office and Aperion, a Scottsdale, Ariz.-based developer.

Those claims are for 80,000 acre feet a year in an area extending northward for about 15 miles from Sandoval County’s southern boundary with Bernalillo County.