Keep an eye out for suspicious people in the neighborhood

Over the course of the last 10 days, two break-in attempts have taken place on Sun Mountain Loop. We know one took place in the early morning hours at about 3 a.m. We assume the other occurred about the same time. Both attempts were to unoccupied homes. Neither attempt was successful. The perps seemed to be on foot and ran off into the woods towards Sugar Bush. If you have any information about these incidents, like noises you may have heard in the early morning hours, suspicious cars in the area, or security tapes, etc., please inform the Lincoln County Sheriff Dept.

News report from 2012 that tells about our solar system that ran Well #6 during Little Bear Fire

Just found this on the web.  News from 2012 - El Paso/Las Cruces Channel 4

Solar Photovoltaic System Keeps Water Running for Firefighters

Friday, June 15, 2012 - 6:21pm

Bianca Delilah Cervantes Web/Social Media Producer

RUIDOSO, N.M. — A solar photovoltaic system installed by the Sun Valley Water and Sanitation District kept the water pumping to volunteer fire fighters fighting the Little Bear Fire when all other power in the area was lost.

“This is a great demonstration of how solar energy can benefit rural communities in an emergency,” said Louise Martinez, Division Director for the Energy, Conservation and Management Division. “Solar energy also provides great energy electric utility savings.”

Thanks to a grant from the Energy, Conservation and Management Division, the Sun Valley Water and Sanitation District in Alto, N.M. installed the system this past Spring of 2012. It is an 11-kW grid-interconnected, single-axis tracking, and pole-mounted solar photovoltaic system to generate electricity used by the community water system, a few miles north of Ruidoso. The system cost $75,000.

The State Energy Program provided the grant to Sun Valley Water and Sanitation District using remaining American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds, to demonstrate that a rural water coop could benefit from the use of solar to offset pumping expense. It is the first rural water coop in New Mexico, if not the nation, to incorporate solar.

The power provided by the system has enabled the Sun Valley Water and Sanitation District to obtain all the electricity it needs for pumping water in the hilly service territory.

When the Little Bear Fire spread, several communities and neighborhoods in the path of the fire and surrounding areas were ordered to leave. The area has been continuously suffering from power outages and many power surges.

Roads to be paved in La Junta subdivisions

Carl Palmer, Lincoln County Road Department Manager, announced paving of Rose Wood, Woodward, and Neill roads will begin June 1.  With short notice, our awesome system operator, Joe Buchanan, and Jack Johnson Excavating crew got a new  6" water line in the road up to the tanks just before the county road crew showed up to start paving. 

Water Restictions now at Level 1

The Board voted to lower the water restrictions to Level 1, which means you are no longer restricted to only watering for one hour in the morning and the evening.  BUT, we continue to request that you water responsibly:  Don't water in the heat of the day.  Don't water when the wind is blowing strong.  The best time to water is in the evening, so your plants have all night to soak up the water before it gets evaporated the next day.  Continue to think CONSERVATION.  Water is a VERY valuable resource - so don't ever waste it.  May 12, 2014 Board meeting