Latest news with #NMED-certified
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
CRRUA: 1 arsenic plant ‘slightly' above guidelines
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — The Camino Real Regional Utility Authority said that its April testing showed two of its arsenic treatment facilities continue to be below federal limits and one was 'slightly higher,' the utility said in a news release on Friday, May 8. The Environmental Protection Agency's maximum contaminate level (MCL) for arsenic is 10 parts per billion (ppb). Test results, released by Eurofins Environment Testing, an independent water lab certified by the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED), showed the Sunland Park ATF at 6.2 ppb, the Santa Teresa Community ATF at 4.5 ppb and the Santa Teresa Industrial ATF at 12 ppb, the utility said. 'When we received the test results for the Santa Teresa Industrial ATF, we immediately implemented protocols and standard operating procedures (SOPs) we initiated in partnership with NMED, and adjusted treatment that lowered the arsenic level to below the MCL,' CRRUA Executive Director Juan Crosby said. 'At no time was the public health at risk. The water continues to meet NMED and EPA standards and is safe to consume.' Crosby said CRRUA also notified NMED about the test results, in accordance with standard operating procedures. Crosby said CRRUA will continue to conduct daily monitoring at all ATFs and will follow up with additional testing at the Santa Teresa Industrial ATF on May 13 and May 20, utilizing an independent, NMED-certified laboratory. Crosby said developing standard operating procedures was a priority when he was named CRRUA acting executive director in January 2024. 'Our quick response in correcting the exceedance at the Santa Teresa Industrial ATF is a direct result of the processes we enacted. I am extremely proud of the timely and proper corrective actions our team took to protect the health and safety of CRRUA customers,' Crosby said. Crosby said the voluntary monthly testing CRRUA has been conducting since February 2024 is to not only for internal monitoring purposes, but for public transparency. 'Our monthly testing is strictly voluntary,' Crosby said. 'It is a proactive process we undertake to keep our customers constantly informed about water quality. We post arsenic test results on the CRRUA website at and on the CRRUA Facebook page.' He said although the tests are conducted by an independent, NMED-certified lab, they are not for compliance purposes. Only the quarterly tests NMED conducts are for compliance, he said to explain the process further. CRRUA excluded the Border Entry ATF from its voluntary testing due to its continued meeting of federal and state requirements. The water samples used in the most recent testing were collected on April 23. As of January 2025, all four arsenic treatment facilities (ATFs) operated by CRRUA are NMED compliant, which means they were below EPA's MCL for four consecutive quarters, the utility said. So far this year, CRRUA passed NMED's first quarter arsenic test, and three-monthly voluntary tests verified by an independent laboratory. Since Jan. 24, 2024, CRRUA has passed 22 arsenic tests including four quarterly NMED tests, the utility said. Arsenic tests results are available on the CRRUA website at CRRUA said it recently achieved 94.8% compliance in correcting deficiencies identified by NMED in its 2023 survey of the utility. Of the 58 deficiencies identified, CRRUA has corrected 55, the utility said. CRRUA provides water and wastewater services to Sunland Park and Santa Teresa. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
CRRUA clarifies ‘misrepresented' water quality claims
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – The Camino Real Regional Authority (CRRUA) is clarifying 'misrepresented claims' by Empowerment Congress that stated the utility's water is unsafe, CRRUA announced on Wednesday, May 7, in a news release. CRRUA says it is now nearly 95% compliant in addressing state inspection This comes after the Empowerment Congress held a community rally on Monday evening, May 5, in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, to 'demand safe drinking water for all CRRUA customers and consumers,' according to a news release sent by the organization. As we previously reported, CRRUA, which provides water and wastewater service to Sunland Park and Santa Teresa, has been under fire for over a year over concerns about water quality and discolored water. Law firms discuss CRRUA's lawsuit in town hall meeting According to the news release by Empowerment Congress, community members and advocates demanded the following from CRRUA to address the historical and ongoing public water crisis: Demand 1: Preventative measures : CRRUA must establish preventative and protective measures when an incident occurs that impacts water quality. Demand 2: Arsenic test strips : CRRUA must provide arsenic testing strips to all households, allowing residents to independently verify the safety of their water. These strips should be mailed directly to each home serviced by CRRUA. Demand 3: Clean water supply : CRRUA must supply clean third-party water to residents for a minimum of six months to compensate for the contaminated water previously supplied, as well as during events and incidents where residents' water quality is impacted. Demand 4: Rate increase moratorium : CRRUA must place a freeze on water rate increases for the next four years. This moratorium is crucial to relieve the financial burden on residents paying for unsafe water they cannot use and the cost of buying water which is safe for them to use. Demand 5: Accessible public meetings: CRRUA must change the time of the regularly scheduled CRRUA Board meetings to 5:30 p.m. on the second Monday of each month, so as to ensure these meetings remain open and accessible to community members. Consequently, the utility responded to these claims, saying its water is safe to consume, and that it's compliant with New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) safe drinking water standards. CRRUA says it's passed latest round of arsenic tests Further addressing this issue, CRRUA sent the following statements responding to every demand, according to the news release. Demand 1 response: CRRUA conducts daily monitoring and regularly scheduled testing. If a change in treatment is needed, the adjustment is made quickly following protocols and procedures initiated by CRRUA in partnership with NMED, with follow-up monitoring and testing at an NMED-certified laboratory. Demand 2, 3, and 4 responses: Under state law, CRRUA is unable to either provide arsenic testing strips or third-party water to residents. Doing so would result in a violation of Article IX, Section 14 of the New Mexico Constitution, otherwise referred to as the 'Anti-Donation Clause.' This constitutional provision prohibits public entities from making donations using public funds to any person, association, or public or private corporation, either directly or indirectly, with limited exceptions. CRRUA has been informed that none of the exceptions to the Anti-Donation Clause apply to providing arsenic test strips or third-party water to residents. Also, test strips contain hazardous materials that require proper handling. They are not intended for public use. For accurate results, NMED requires designated sample points where water samples must be collected for testing purposes. In addition, CRRUA's water quality is compliant with NMED testing for arsenic at all four arsenic treatment facilities, and CRRUA has passed 22 arsenic tests since January 2024, including NMED's quarterly tests. CRRUA makes all test results available to the public via the CRRUA website, Facebook page, and through local news media. As such, CRRUA provides safe water to its customers as certified by both NMED and NMED-certified laboratories. Water quality information is available in the 2023 Consumer Confidence Report, released in June 2024. Demand 5 response: Conducting morning meetings is a standard practice for government agencies and a cost-effective way of maximizing limited staff availability and resources, especially for the size of the CRRUA organization. CRRUA board meetings are available on Zoom and provide a convenient way for participants to address the board without having to physically attend meetings. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
