The issue, which cropped up at a Tuesday night meeting at Land Grant Hall in Carnuel, adds a wrinkle to a project that is already somewhat short on funds.

Construction of a waterline from Albuquerque into Carnuel was broken down into seven phases, the first two of which will most likely be funded by more than $4.5 million in grants from state appropriations, the Environmental Protection Agency, the New Mexico Finance Authority Water Trust Board, USDA Rural Development, stimulus funds and other sources.

It is estimated that an additional $11.5 million would be needed to complete all seven phases of the project, but the cash in hand would be used to construct a line to serve residents south of Old Route 66, and may also help build a 200,000-gallon water tank.

There are three potential sites for tank locations. One is on Albuquerque Open Space, land that could be difficult to build on because it has special requirements, said Anthony Montoya Jr., a senior engineer with Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority.

Another is on private land, both hidden from view and away from the attendees' backyard, according to the comments at the meeting. That site is rocky, and it could be expensive to prepare the site for a water tank, according to Montoya.

The third possible tank location, in Echo Canyon, north of Old Route 66 in Carnuel, drew criticism from attendees, including Sen. Sue Wilson Beffort, who said she would like to see the planners hold off on building a tank and spend the money on getting a waterline to residents. She said she wanted the option of putting a tank in Echo Canyon taken off the table.

Frank Roth, a senior policy manager for the water authority, pointed out that a waterline could be built without first building a tank, but there would be a trade-off.

Without the water tank, the water is supplied by a single water line, meaning residents would be without water if that line were cut. Also, there would not be enough pressure in the system to put in fire hydrants in the area and provide a measure of protection from fires.

There will be another meeting to discuss the potential locations after the water tank study is complete, which should take about 30 days, Roth said.