09-05-2025
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.
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