city of the sun wastewater lagoon
    sludge sampling - laguna encantada news - permit reports - water bills

        current - archive 2008/06 2008/05


Discharge Permit Reports & Data for New Mexico Environment Dept

  Analytical Lab Reports

  Lagoon O & M Reports

  COS Water Meters


[ top  lab  notes  o&m  water ]

COS Lagoon Analytical Lab Reports


Test (method id)  typical results for domestic ww (method detection limit)
         2005-oct  2006-apr  2006-oct  2007-apr  2007-oct  2008-apr


Nitrate/Nitrite as N (353.2)  typical 0-1 mg/L (MDL 0.02-0.03 mg/L)
            0.21      0.21      0.14      0.05      0.07      0.05 mg/L

Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen TKN (351.2)  typical 10-30 mg/L (MDL 0.1-0.5 mg/L)
           60.1      36.5      43.9      23.1      57.3      32.1 mg/L

Total Dissolved Solids TDS (SM 2540C)  typical 800-1000 mg/L (MDL 18-27 mg/L)
          4670      3037      2174      1974      4088 mg/L    -

Chloride (4500-Cl_D)  typical ? mg/L (MDL 1.7 mg/L)
          541.0     324.4     271.7     196.7     439.5 mg/L   -

Total Phosphorus (EPA 200.7)  typical 1-2 mg/L (MDL 0.05 mg/L)  (see notes)
             -         -         -         -         -        9.49 mg/L

Ammonium as N (350.1)  typical ? mg/L (MDL 0.04 mg/L)  (see notes)
             -         -         -         -         -        3.82 mg/L

Monitor Well (archy)  should always be dry?
            dry       dry       dry        (see notes)        dry

Test                                                                 
         2005-oct  2006-apr  2006-oct  2007-apr  2007-oct  2008-apr


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Notes:

Twice-yearly lagoon pond grab samples and monitor well inspection by Archy
  Heddlesten, analytical testing by NMSU Soil Water Agricultural Testing Lab.

2005-oct thru 2007-apr test results from Maya, 2007 May 20.  All of this data
  has been summarized here at the request of the COS membership, excerpted from
  NMSU SWAT Lab reports without their permission or verification.  Please see
  the original reports for full details and conditions.

The COS lagoon is a totally contained facultative pond with no effluent, and
  is not a typical domestic wastewater system.  "Typical" test results are
  quoted here for reference, from NM Env's 2005 Wastewater Systems Operator
  Certification Study Manual, Chapter 1 (327k pdf). 

2006-oct test results - Bob quit sometime during the summer, Chris started
  applying activated EM again in the fall (1-2 gals/week).

2007 June 19 - Susan Maupin from NMRWA sampled sludge for our permit renewal.
  According to her report, the sludge was 4-6 inches deep, black grainy sticky,
  no odor, indicating good digestion.  (also see photos)

2007 June 20 - Naomi Davidson & Cathy Deal from NM Env checked the monitor well.
  It's 206 feet deep, with 10(?) feet of water (Archy said it's probably from the
  heavy monsoons, and that all of his regular bi-annual tests have been dry).

2007-oct test results - Grab sample from a different location in the pond than
  usual, immediately after a large and toxic RV-tank dump by a visitor.

2008-apr test results - Some wrong tests requested from NMSU SWAT Lab - Ammonia
  & Phosphorus instead of the usual TDS & Chloride.  (Despite this mixup, i'm
  curious how our phosphorus levels compare with "typical" wastewater, and would
  also like to see an analysis for flourides and heavy metals, which are abundant
  in the local ground water.  Since our lagoon is totally contained, i'm surprised
  anything could be alive in there after 35+ years of evaporative concentration,
  but we've got plenty of benign micro-organisms, migratory birds, and even a
  couple of turtles happily splashing about!  I guess nature is pretty tough :)



[ top  lab  notes  o&m  water ]

COS Lagoon Operations & Maintenance

date - weather - operator
  color (dark / pea green, brown, grey, other)
    odor (algae-like, earthy, septic, none, other)
    freeboard (of 5 feet maximum pond depth), em (microbial culture)
  comments (scum debris sludge foam algae pond-veg woody-shrubs weeds
    insects burrowing erosion seepage shorting fence signs monitor-well)


2007 jan 28 - sunny - chris v
  color dark green, odor medium algae-like, freeboard 2 ft, em 1-2 gal/week
  work party cleaned up weeds, raked out debris, scum, underwater dead weeds

2007 may 15 - sunny windy - chris v
  color dark green, odor low algae-like, freeboard 3 ft, em 2 gal/week
  woody shrubs & weeds, burrowing, erosion, fence needs minor repairs
  raked out debris & some weeds

2007 jun 16 - sunny clear hot - chris v
  color dark green, odor low algae-like, freeboard 3 ft, em 2 gal/week
  work party cleaned up woody shrubs & weeds, minor fence repairs
  signs of burrowing animals

2007 jul 14 - sunny hot - chris v
  color dark green, odor low algae-like, freeboard 3 ft, em 2 gal/week
  raked out debris, excessive algae - applied max em (4 gal/week) ok
  work party repaired some fence posts, filled holes under fence
  woody shrubs & weeds, burrowing, erosion - another work party needed...

2007 aug 18 - sunny windy - chris v
  color pea green, odor low algae-like, freeboard 3 ft, em 2 gal/week
  raked out & agitated scum & debris
  excessive algae - increased em to 4 gal/week ok
  woody shrubs & weeds, burrowing, erosion - work party needed...

2007 sep 16 - sunny calm - chris v
  color medium green, odor low algae-like, freeboard 3 ft, em 2 gal/week ok
  woody shrubs & weeds, burrowing, erosion - work party needed...

2007 oct 20 - sunny windy - chris v
  color dark green, odor medium algae-like, freeboard 3 ft, em 1-2 gal/week
  scum, debris & floating sludge from large rv dump - raked & shredded, em 4 gal/week
  woody shrubs & weeds, burrowing, erosion - work party scheduled...

2007 oct 27 - sunny windy - chris v
  color dark green, odor low algae-like, freeboard 3 ft, em 2 gal/week
  work party cleaned up weeds & some woody shrubs, filled holes under fence
  dogs digging under fence - needs major improvement, proposal to board...
  long-term berm erosion - plan to plant native grasses, proposal to board...

2007 dec 2 - sunny windy cold - chris v
  color dark green, no odor, freeboard 2.5 ft, em 2 gal/week
  raked out some debris

2008 jan 6 - sunny windy cold - chris v
  color dark green, no scum no odor, freeboard 2.5 ft, em 2 gal/week

2007 feb 16 - sunny cold - chris v
  color dark green, no odor, freeboard 2 ft, em 2 gal/week
  raked out some debris

2008 mar 21 - sunny windy cold - chris v
  color dark green, no scum no odor, freeboard 2 ft, em 2 gal/week

2008 mar 30 - sunny windy warmer - chris v
  color light brown, odor very low earthy, freeboard 2.5 ft, em 4 gal/week
  someone dumping extra 1-2000 gals per day? - got sample, checked well meter...
  raked out debris, work party finished cleaning up weeds & woody shrubs

2008 apr 14 - sunny windy warmer - chris v
  color light brown, odor very low algae-like, freeboard 2.5 ft, em 4 gal/week ok
  (archy said seasonal temp change is causing normal vertical circulation in pond)
  (after 2 weeks, brown sample in airtight glass jar turned into green slime, ok)

2008 may 17 - sunny/cloudy windy humid - chris v
  color medium green, odor low algae-like, freeboard 3 ft, em 2 gal/week
  dogs digging under fence - needs major improvement, proposal to board...
  long-term berm erosion - plan to plant native grasses, proposal to board...



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COS Water Meters




2006 water meters                  columbus                     east well              west well    
date    read by  days      meter      gals     gpd      meter      gals     gpd      meter    gals

2005 dec 28  fn            5378600                      2939200                      737170
2006 jan 30  fn    33      5559000   180400   5467      2950600    11400    345      737170      0
2006 feb 27  fn    28      5662700   103700   3704      2952700     2100     75      737170      0
2006 mar 30  fn    31      5774600   111900   3610      2961800     9100    294      737170      0
2006 apr 28  fn    29      5907800   133200   4593      2970000     8200    283
2006 may 30  fn    32      6047500   139700   4366      2997000    27000    844
2006 jun 26  fn    27      6187800   140300   5196      3014600    17600    652
2006 jul 30  fn    34      6317300   129500   3809      3031600    17000    500
2006 aug 29  fn    30      6413200    95900   3197      3038100     6500    217
2006 sep       
2006 oct 26  fn    58      6557500   144300   2488      3048200    10100    174
2006 nov 24  fn    29      6632000    74500   2569      3051400     3200    110
2006 dec 26  fn    32      6714300    82300   2572      3054700     3300    103      737170      0
                                                                                                    
2006 total        363               1335700   3680                115500    318                  0


2007 water meters                  columbus                     east well              west well    
date    read by  days      meter      gals     gpd      meter      gals     gpd      meter    gals

2007 jan 27  fn    32      6867200   152900   4778      3056400     1700     53
2007 feb 28  fn    32      6957200    90000   2812      3059700     3300    103
2007 mar 30  fn    30      7074800   117600   3920      3139500    79800   2660
2007 apr 30  fn    31      7172400    97600   3148      3159800    20300    655
2007 may 30  fn    30      7294100   121700   4057      3155800    -4000   -133 (as recorded)
2007 jun 30  fn    31      7421000   126900   4094      3177600    21800    703
2007 jul 30  fn    30      7583800   162800   5427      3186100     8500    283
2007 aug 29  fn    30      7725400   141600   4720      3200200    14100    470      737170      0
2007 sep 28  fn    30      7860600   135200   4507      3210700    10500    350
2007 oct 29  fn    31      8001000   140400   4529      3276300    65600   2116
2007 nov 27  fn    29      8060400    59400   2048      3279600     3300    114
2008 jan 5   fn    39      8157000    96600   2477      3285700     6100    156
                                                                                                    
2007 total        375               1442700   3847                231000    616                  0



2008 water meters                  columbus                     east well              west well    
date    read by  days      meter      gals     gpd      meter      gals     gpd      meter    gals

2008 jan 26  fn    21      8230700    73700   3510      3318300    32600   1552
2008 feb 27  fn    32      8325300    94600   2956      3347600    29300    916
2008 mar 27  fn    29      8466700   141400   4876      3373300    25700    886
2008 mar 30  cv     3                                   3375127     1827    609
2008 may 5   fn    36      8586900   120200   3082      3417700    42573   1183      737170      0
                                                                                                    
2008 total        121                429900   3553                132000   1091                  0



total water meters                 columbus                     east well              west well    
2006-2008         859               3208300   3735                478500    557                  0
                 days                  gals    gpd                  gals    gpd               gals


(for Columbus water before 2006, see COS Water Bills)


[ top  lab  notes  o&m  water ]