An agreement approved by the Carlsbad City Council allows the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) continued use of space at Cavern City Air Terminal to help fight wildfires in Southeast New Mexico.
The annual accord between the City of Carlsbad and BLM’s Carlsbad Field Office supports the federal agency’s efforts to combat grass and brush fires, wrote City of Carlsbad Community Development Director Ted Cordova in a memo to City Councilors.
“This lease is renewed annually for $1,” he said in the memo.
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Jillian Aragon, BLM spokesperson, said the fee was determined by the City of Carlsbad in 2006.
Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway said the rental fee is a formality.
“Because we are required by law to charge a rental fee, due to us being a government entity,” he said.
The Carlsbad Field Office administers over 2 million acres of surface estate and 3 million acres of mineral estate in the southeastern portion of New Mexico, per the BLM’s website.
The BLM leases 7,750 square feet of land at Cavern City Air Terminal, per a lease agreement between the federal government and City of Carlsbad.
“The BLM maintains a storage shed and an office trailer on the property,” Aragon said.
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She said the space allows the BLM to load Single Engine Airtankers (SEATs) closer to a fire instead of having them loaded at the Roswell Airtanker Base.
“With this area, the BLM is more equipped to support fires that may be out of range for SEATs flying from Roswell,” Aragon said.
SEATs can deliver up to 800 gallons of fire retardant to support firefighters on the ground, the U.S. Forest Service website indicated.
Aragon said BLM and the Forest Service use the same SEATs.
She said there is a benefit for the City and BLM to have the agreement and a SEAT base plan in place heading into each fire season.
“When there is a need for SEATs, we do not have to negotiate the use of the land or water usage and the base can be running when the SEATs arrive. It can take up to 24 hours to have a SEAT base operational,” Aragon said.
She added fuel for the aircraft is purchased at Cavern City Air Terminal and crews working with SEATs eat and stay in Carlsbad during fire operations.
“The BLM reimburses the city for water used in the SEAT operations,” Aragon said.
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Janway said the City believes the service provided by the BLM is clearly in the public’s best interest.
“We have a great partnership with the BLM on all fronts, in particular when it comes to public safety, and we’re always happy to help however we can,” he said.
Mike Smith can be reached at 575-628-5546 or by email at [email protected] or @ArgusMichae on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: Carlsbad and Bureau of Land Management extend airport agreement
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