Latest news with #CRRUA
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Sunland Park considers creating its own water utility following CRRUA split
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Sunland Park city officials are now laying out their plans to move forward following the termination of the joint powers agreement that established the Camino Real Regional Utility Authority (CRRUA). CRRUA provides water and wastewater services to Sunland Park and Santa Teresa. Doña Ana County cuts ties with CRRUA after years of water quality issues During a press conference on Wednesday, May 28, city leaders announced they are preparing a resolution that would allow Sunland Park to create its own water and wastewater department. This comes after Doña Ana County voted to end its agreement with CRRUA, citing years of resident complaints about water quality. Doña Ana County takes steps to terminate Camino Real Regional Utility Authority 'Our staff is going to be presenting a resolution that is requesting support from the city council to establish our own water and wastewater department to make sure that we are prepared in case of the decision that the county wants to separate the assets, and we have to create our own water wastewater service,' Sunland Park Mayor Javier Perea said. In addition to the possible creation of a new department, the city plans to request $1.2 million from municipal funds to address infrastructure problems, including the ongoing issue of discolored water that many residents have reported over the years. 'That will be necessary to address the tanks, the Anapra tank, the Middle Vista tank, and the Tierra Madre tank, all located within the City of Sunland Park, and hopefully reduce the number of incidents of discolored water within the city,' Perea said. The resolutions will be presented to the city council in the coming weeks, officials said. The transition away from CRRUA could take up to four years, with the agency continuing day-to-day operations during that time, according to city officials. In the meantime, Doña Ana County and the City of Sunland Park have activated a dedicated phone line and online form for CRRUA customers to report water-related issues or concerns. Assistance is available in both English and Spanish by calling (575) 525-5589. Doña Ana County activates support line for CRRUA customers For more information, or to access the support form, visit Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Doña Ana County activates support line for CRRUA customers
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Camino Real Regional Utility Authority (CRRUA) customers will now be able to report any water-related issues or concerns via a dedicated phone line and online form. The Doña Ana County, in partnership with the city of Sunland Park, announced on Wednesday, May 28, in a news release. The County said residents and businesses with questions or concerns about water quality are encouraged to use the new support tools. Assistance is available in both English and Spanish by calling (575) 525-5589 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, or by filling out the online form. For more information or to access the support form, visit here Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
NM environment department sues CRRUA water system
NMED filed suit against CRRUA on May 28, 2025 after what it characterized as a decade of mismanagement. (Danielle Prokop/Source NM) New Mexico's environment department on Wednesday announced it has filed a lawsuit against the Camino Real Regional Utility Authority and has asked the Third Judicial District Court to appoint an independent manager to oversee its operations. The suit follows more than a decade of 'mismanagement at the utility,' NMED states in a news release, including recent and repeated failed arsenic tests. As Source reported last week, tests the agency itself took at CCRUA on May 7 recorded arsenic levels at the Santa Teresa Industrial Park plant that violated the federal limit, marking the third overage recorded at the plant in recent weeks, although the other tests were from voluntary tests. New CRRUA arsenic violation prompts NMED to evaluate taking emergency action CRRUA serves approximately 19,000 people in the border city of Sunland Park, Santa Theresa and the southernmost portion of Doña Ana County, an area with naturally occurring high levels of arsenic in the groundwater. Sunland Park and Doña Ana County jointly operate the utility, which is governed by a seven-member board. At its May 13 meeting, the Doña Ana Board of County Commissioners unanimously voted to send immediate notice to Sunland Park to start the termination process of the Joint Powers Agreement. Environment Department Secretary James Kenney subsequently urged Sunland Park to also sever its ties with CRRUA, and acknowledged in an interview with Source NM it was an unusual step for him to take. 'We're weighing in at this point because we've had it,' he said. 'While we're exhausting our enforcement, our legal approaches, we have another approach: We have to speak about it.' Now, with its lawsuit, NMED is asking the courts to order CRRUA to: • implement real-time arsenic monitoring • distribute free arsenic test strips for all CRRUA customers • provide an alternative drinking water source if arsenic levels exceed state limits • conduct monthly public meetings • and pay civil penalties which, per state law, fund drinking water and wastewater utility operators for communities across New Mexico 'While the Environment Department has invested significant technical resources to assist CRRUA in fulfilling its duty to deliver safe and reliable drinking water, its failures continue to threaten public health,' Kenney said in a statement on Wednesday. 'Today's lawsuit and request to appoint an independent manager to oversee CRRUA signals a new approach in Environment Department efforts to protect the health of communities when they turn on their tap.' NMED's news release also notes that last July it placed 138 drinking systems across the state on notice, and that the City of Las Vegas and Cassandra Water System in Moriarity remain out of compliance.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Dona Ana County cuts ties with CRRUA after years of water quality issues
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Doña Ana County is ending its longstanding agreement with the Camino Real Regional Utility Authority (CRRUA), an agency that has been the subject of years of resident frustration and alleged state violations over water quality in Sunland Park and Santa Teresa. County officials made the announcement last week, citing a need to prioritize public health and restore community trust after repeated complaints of dirty, foul-smelling water. 'This is about clean water. Sure, but it's also about equity. It's about ensuring that no community feels forgotten and no resident goes unheard,' said Scott Andrews, Doña Ana County manager. CRRUA has been responsible for water and wastewater services in the area, but the agency has faced scrutiny for alleged state violations related to arsenic levels in drinking water. For years, residents have reported murky water, prompting many to rely on bottled water and home filtration systems. Vivian Fuller, a resident of Santa Teresa, said water quality issues have persisted. 'We've been fighting for many years. Clean, safe drinking water, that's the ultimate goal,' she said. The County's decision initiates a four-year transition period, where CRRUA will continue to operate under closer oversight. During a press conference on Friday, County officials said they are exploring long-term alternatives, including selecting a new provider. 'We have already hired HDR Engineering to do the assessment of the CRRUA system, so we can start figuring out the condition of the wells, condition of the pipes, conditions of the tanks, condition of fire hydrants, all aspects of the system,' said Stephen Lopez, assistant county manager for Doña Ana County. In a statement sent to KTSM, CRRUA said: 'This is a matter between Sunland Park and Doña Ana County. They are co-owners (of CRRUA). We will continue to operate as normal after Doña Ana County's decision to leave the JPA (joint powers agreement).' County leaders say they plan to hold a series of community meetings in the coming months to keep residents informed and involved in the transition. CRRUA said it has recently achieved 94.8 percent compliance in correcting deficiencies identified by the New Mexico Environment Department in its 2023 survey of the utility. Of the 58 deficiencies identified, CRRUA said it has corrected 55. Since Jan. 24, 2024, CRRUA said it has passed 22 arsenic tests, including four quarterly NMED tests, the utility said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
CRRUA: Arsenic plant ‘slightly' above guidelines passes 2nd follow-up test
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – The Camino Real Regional Utility Authority (CRRUA) said it completed the second of two follow-up tests of an arsenic treatment facility (ATF) that 'slightly' exceeded the federal limit for arsenic in the utility's voluntary monthly tests for April. CRRUA follow-up test of arsenic plant 'slightly' above guidelines CRRUA provides water and wastewater services to Sunland Park and Santa Teresa. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) MCL for arsenic is 10 parts per billion (ppb). The second follow-up test results for the Santa Teresa Industrial ATF were 8 ppb, which is below the 12 ppb in the first follow-up test and the 12 ppb in the CRRUA voluntary monthly test for April, the utility said. CRRUA said results are from Eurofins Environment Testing, an independent water lab certified by the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED), from samples taken on May 14. CRRUA: 1 arsenic plant 'slightly' above guidelines The first follow-up test was conducted on May 6, the utility said. CRRUA voluntarily conducted the two follow-up tests at the Santa Teresa Industrial ATF as a 'self-governance measure and to assure customers that water at the facility meets government regulatory standards,' the utility said. 'This is the second straight NMED quarterly compliance test period in which all four CRRUA ATFs passed based on the RAA,' CRRUA Executive Director Juan Crosby said. 'Although the New Mexico Environment Department's (NMED) recent quarterly sample reported an arsenic level of 15 parts per billion (ppb) at the Santa Teresa Industrial ATF, which exceeds the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 10 ppb, it is important to clarify that federal and state regulations determine compliance based on the Running Annual Average (RAA) of arsenic levels, not on a single sample result,' Crosby said. 'CRRUA remains in compliance with arsenic standards under the Safe Drinking Water Act, and our Arsenic Treatment Facilities continue to operate as intended. We are committed to maintaining full transparency by sharing results from both regulatory samples and voluntary testing. Our priority is to ensure the delivery of safe, high-quality drinking water to our community,' Crosby added. The utility said results of NMED's second quarter 2025 arsenic tests from water samples taken May 7, confirm that based on the RAA, the Border Entry ATF (RAA 3.8 ppb,) Santa Teresa Industrial ATF (RAA 8.3 ppb,) Santa Teresa Community ATF (5.5 ppb,) and Sunland Park ATF (6.3 ppb) are NMED compliant. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
