U.S. Rep Vasquez asks for more water testing in Southern NM
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EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez, D-New Mexico, has sent a letter to the State of New Mexico asking for additional water quality testing for the Camino Real Regional Utility Authority and more public engagement with residents who get their water from that utility.
“Clean drinking water should be a right, not a privilege, which is why I am committed to working to ensure that all tools available under federal law are being used to correct the injustice that residents of Doña Ana County have been facing,” Vasquez wrote in his letter to New Mexico Secretary of Environment James Kenney.
CRRUA provides water to residents in the Sunland Park and Santa Teresa areas. The utility has been fined by the state of New Mexico for drinking water violations and has been the subject of complaints and concerns from residents since last fall. Some residents have told KTSM that issues with their water go back years.
Vasquez’s letter comes following a series of NMED enforcement actions against CRRUA. Vasquez’s Office cited the following incidents.
On March 1, NMED issued $251,580 in penalties to CRRUA for violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act.
On March 26, NMED received sampling results from CRRUA’s distribution system that showed arsenic levels above the federal maximum contaminant level (mcl) at one location.
On March 27, NMED issued an information demand letter to CRRUA as part of an investigation into failures with their arsenic treatment plant.
“Vasquez will continue to work to guarantee safe drinking water for residents of Doña Ana County and get accountability from CRRUA for repeated safety violations and mismanagement. He has called on the Biden Administration to improve and increase investments in our water infrastructure systems,” Vasquez’s Office said in a news release.
Vasquez’s Office also said the congressman wrote to CRRUA in February demanding an action plan for how CRRUA would address “systemic failures and ensure all infrastructure was up to date.”
Vasquez’s Office said they have not received a response from CRRUA. Vasquez represents Southern New Mexico in the U.S. House of Representatives, including Las Cruces and the rest of Dona Ana County.
CRRUA responded by saying that their water is safe to consume and they are monitoring their water daily and conducting bi-monthly sampling at its water treatment facilities.
CRRUA also said it has now passed its last three arsenic water tests in a row, the most recent on April 3.
CRRUA also says it continues to work with the New Mexico Environment Department and they are now 56 percent compliant in correcting the 58 deficiencies identified by the New Mexico Environment Department in its survey late last year.
The utility also said it has improved its website and social media accounts to better communicate with its customers.
Here is the full text of Vasquez’s letter is below:
Dear Secretary Kenney,
Thank you for your swift action on behalf of my constituents to address the water contamination issues faced by residents who receive service from the Camino Real Regional Utility Authority (CRRUA). I’m writing to you today to ask your department to take all additional actions necessary to ensure the safety of my constituents, including conducting unannounced, random water quality testing throughout CRRUA’s service territory for the next calendar year.
In December 2023, CRRUA issued a “Do Not Drink” order to residents of Doña Ana County following reports of “slimy” water – an indication of high-pH water caused by a system failure. Unacceptably, CRRUA failed to notify residents of this failure for more than twenty-four hours. Also in December, New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) identified 58 deficiencies across CRRUA’s system, including with four arsenic treatment plants. According to the U.S. EPA, arsenic can cause a variety of health impacts including nausea and diarrhea and is also linked to cancer and other serious diseases.
As a result of these egregious safety violations, NMED issued an Administrative Order on March 1, 2024, under the Safe Drinking Water Act that included financial penalties, and has also initiated an investigation into CRRUA’s larger pattern of deficiencies and federal clean water statute violations. On March 26, your department received results from random testing of CRRUA’s system that identified at least one site with arsenic levels above the federal maximum contaminant level (MCL). A Washington Post article on April 18, also identified a historical pattern of arsenic exposure through the system. This level of repeated, documented safety violations is simply unacceptable and must be corrected immediately.
I appreciate your leadership on this issue to ensure that residents of Doña Ana County have access to clean water, and I request that your agency do the following as part of your mission to ensure accountability:
Provide regular updates to my office on the status of all federal drinking water statute enforcement actions taken by your office.
Hold routine community meetings in Doña Ana County to update residents on the status of NMED investigation and provide an opportunity for residents to share their concerns and experiences.
Conduct random, unannounced water quality testing for no less than one calendar year or until arsenic levels are routinely below the EPA’s MCL, consistent with federal law, to provide residents the peace of mind that their water is safe to drink.
While CRRUA has received more than $13.6 million in state loans and grants for water and wastewater projects since 2012, I ask that NMED continue to make state and federal clean water project funding available to ensure that CRRUA’s systems are functional and safe for the benefit of residents.
Clean drinking water should be a right, not a privilege, which is why I am committed to working with you to ensure that all tools available to you under federal law are being used to correct the injustice that residents of Doña Ana County have been facing. Thank you for your attention to this serious issue and I look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Gabe Vasquez
Member of Congress
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