Las Cruces assures residents water is safe

Recent public attention to problems with municipal water supplied by the Camino Real Regional Utility Authority in southern Doña Ana County prompted the city of Las Cruces to issue a notice assuring city residents the city’s water supply is safe and in compliance with state and federal protocols.

CRRUA, which supplies water for customers in Sunland Park and Santa Teresa, has come under scrutiny for water safety failures since November, when water supplied to about 1,000 households showed unsafe pH levels, followed by delayed “do not drink” emergency order. Since then, regulators have identified dozens of management failures and safety concerns including issues with arsenic treatment facilities that have allowed “high levels of arsenic” on occasion. A surprise arsenic test last month by the state Environment Department found excessive arsenic levels in water from an industrial area of Santa Teresa, where people work and consume water.

“…there is a misperception that Las Cruces and Sunland Park share the same water and arsenic exists in our drinking water,” Las Cruces Utilities stated in a news release. “This is not the case, as Las Cruces pumps from the Mesilla and Jornada del Muerto bolsons (aquifers).”

Although Sunland Park supplies some of its water from the Mesilla bolson as well, the city continued, “pumping regimes and water quality are very different further south, and toward the bottom of the bolson.”

Las Cruces’ water system is “strictly a groundwater system,” the city explained, adding that it does not use surface water or blend its supply with other sources, as might be the case in other municipalities.

The city also pointed to regulatory requirements under state and federal law, under which the water quality is monitored with strict reporting requirements if contaminants exceed levels deemed safe by the Environmental Protection Agency and the New Mexico Environment Department.

“…if any contaminant in drinking water exceeds its maximum contaminant level, which is a federal- and state-mandated level, Las Cruces Utilities Department, as a water provider, must report the exceedance to our customers and users. This would require official paperwork and notification that would result in further violations and fines if we fail to report.”

The city publishes an annual Consumer Confidence Report on its LasCruces.gov web site, a requirement of the Safe Drinking Water Act, which details how the city sources its water, what’s in it and its compliance with safety standards.

Contaminants are typically found in drinking water but are subject to specific limits for each contaminant. Low levels of arsenic are commonly present. As the most recent report states: “EPA’s standard balances the current understanding of arsenic’s possible health effects against the costs of removing arsenic from drinking water. EPA continues to research the health effects of low levels of arsenic which is a mineral known to cause cancer in humans at high concentrations and is linked to other health effects such as skin damage and circulatory problems.”

The city stated: “Las Cruces’ water quality is well below the maximum level for arsenic. Therefore, we do not have anything to report to our customers nor are we facing violations or fines from the NMED and EPA.”

The city said further information is available in the reporting or via the Las Cruces Utilities office at 575-528-3514. Email contact for Ronald Borunda, the deputy director of water, is rborunda@lascruces.gov.