When I read that the current location was being considered, I was skeptical. Fortunately, so were city councilors. They directed a thorough evaluation. After announcing that rebuilding on-site was the best option, a passionate and influential group asked for another look. Being responsive, the council agreed.

That evaluation showed that relocating would add costs of $10 million to $20 million. But even those locations and that expense wouldn’t put the plant out of sight.

Cundiff Park, barely a half-mile down river provides: a convenient put-in and take-out for river users; a recreation area for kids; and a well-established path that is heavily used. Those amenities would be severely compromised. So is it worth $10 million to move it a five-minute walk away?

Other suggested locations that, besides not being for sale, are also on the river. Adding a sewer plant in those spots would be a visual disaster for the river corridor, and also for the riparian habitat that includes wetlands, cottonwood galleries and refuges for wildlife. Those parcels won’t develop to any great degree because they are in the floodplain and establishing access will be difficult.

The argument that the sewer plant hurts tourism because it is at the city “entrance” is specious, at best. Sales tax revenues in the past few years easily deflect that claim. The major event at Santa Rita – Animas River Days – draws thousands of people. But the combination of all park events does not contribute millions in tax revenues, and never will.

Finally, consider the environmental factors. State-of-the-art water treatment will greatly improve water quality, which is critical for aquatic life, important to our southern neighbors and better for the health of boaters, paddle-boarders and tubers.

We live in a geographically constrained location. It’s best for our environment – and for our pocketbooks – to continue to use the current location.

Joe Lewandowski

Durango