The city of Española has notified the state engineer of plans to drill up to seven deep wells, four of them on state trust land, and appropriate billions of gallons of brine-filled water.

The notice secures the right for Española to drill the wells in the next 40 years, treat the salty water to meet drinking-water standards and add it to the municipal water system, according to Española mayor Joe Maestas and a legal ad published in the Rio Grande Sun, an Española weekly newspaper.

Deep wells are drilled at least 2,500 feet below the surface and tap into nonpotable water that is separated from drinkable water stored in upper aquifers. The wells could range from 3,000 to 8,000 feet deep.

Three of the planned wells are on city property.

The city could pump up to 3,500 acre-feet of water from each well per year. One acre-foot of water is equal to 325,851 gallons.

The wells on city land are a mile or two northeast of the intersection of Fairview Road and N.M. 68. The wells on state trust land — acreage managed by the state land commissioner to benefit education funds — are 4 to 5 miles west of the Fairview Road and N.M. 68 intersection.

Española joins more than a dozen companies that notified the state of their intentions to drill deep wells earlier this year. A rush to file notices occurred as the state engineer sought authority to regulate deep wells.

Deep wells were not under the jurisdiction of the state engineer until this year, when the state Legislature approved a bill giving the state engineer authority over deep wells drilled for municipal drinking-water use. Gov. Bill Richardson signed it into law. Notices filed before the legislation, like Española's, are grandfathered in.

Maestas said the city's 4,200 customers are supplied completely by groundwater. The city can't drill new wells in shallower aquifers because of contamination from dry-cleaning chemical pollutants and leaking septic systems. The city also is considering a diversion project on the Rio Grande. The deep wells ensure another future water source, Maestas said.

The legal notice indicates that anyone who believes the proposed deep wells impair their existing rights can sue the city of Española in District Court.

Contact Staci Matlock at 986-3055 or smatlock@sfnewmexican.com.