New Mexico

Currier: New Mexico officials on the right track in exploring water reuse

Published

2 years ago

May 3, 2024

Missi Currier
| President and CEO, New Mexico Oil and Gas Association

Water is New Mexico’s most precious resource. We must ensure it is conserved and utilized to the greatest extent and encourage innovative technologies that result in safe, responsible water reuse. As directed by the 2019 Produced Water Act, state officials are working diligently to create a framework for water reuse through the Water Quality Control Commission rulemaking.

All viable and safe options to address our declining water availability should be considered, including finding ways to safely use treated produced water. The oil and gas industry is truly one of the few industries capable of attaining “net positive” water balance by saving more fresh water than it uses. Achieving this is a win for all New Mexicans.

In New Mexico, oil and natural gas production uses less than 1 percent of the state’s annual freshwater consumption, while the vast majority of water continues to be consumed by individuals or other water-necessary industries.

Produced water is mostly naturally occurring, highly saline water brought to the surface as part of oil and gas production. Leading universities, like New Mexico State, New Mexico Tech, and Texas Tech, are on the forefront of treated produced water use research. Developments in water recycling technology show that high-quality water can be extracted from produced water for appropriate and regulated reuse. With additional treatment, the water can be cleaner than some natural river ecosystems.

Currently, produced water is injected back into deep subsurface formations as one of the few approved disposal methods. The reinjection of produced water can contribute to seismic events. Coupled with depleting water supplies, it is crucial to find ways to best utilize produced water.

Due to technological advancements, produced water could be used for industrial applications such as municipal landscaping, road construction, and irrigation for non-edible agriculture like cotton. To ensure its safe utilization in approved applications, the use of any produced water will be extensively tested and monitored to guarantee it meets stringent water-quality standards.

Every gallon of treated produced water used for irrigation or industrial uses frees up a gallon of native fresh water.

Concerns that the oil and gas industry introduces Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances – or PFAS – into its produced water are unwarranted. To be clear, the oil and gas industry is not a source of PFAS in produced water. A recent study by the U.S. Geological Survey found PFAS concentrations in the Pecos River near Artesia (upstream of oil and gas fields) averaged 15 nanograms per liter. Water from the Pecos River downstream of oil and gas fields had the same or lower levels. The trace amounts of PFAS found in the surface water are introduced before water reaches the Permian Basin. The study also found PFAS levels in the Pecos River were lower than samples taken from the Rio Grande south of Albuquerque.

We urge state officials to make data- and science-based decisions in the upcoming WQCC rulemaking hearing to ensure proper utilization of all our water resources, preserve our limited supply of fresh water for future generations, and enable economic diversification. To learn more about the rulemaking and treated produced water facts, we urge you to visit NM Environment Department, the WQCC, NMSU, NMT, and TTU sites to learn more the safe usage of produced water and its benefits to New Mexico’s future.

Missi Currier is a Carlsbad native, and President and CEO of the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association.

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New Mexico

Traffic standstill on I-40 near TX/NM state line in Oldham County

Published

10 hours ago

March 22, 2026

Press Room

OLDHAM COUNTY, Texas (KVII) — There was a traffic standstill on I-40 eastbound 5-10 miles east of the TX/NM state line in Oldham County.

Traffic standstill on I-40 near TX/NM state line in Oldham County (Corbin Voges/KVII)

The stalled traffic happened Saturday evening.

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There are reports of an earlier semi crash that was in flames during the day, but it is unknown if this is the cause of the long standstill.

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New Mexico

The ‘Most Romantic Hot Springs In The Southwest’ Are Sheltered In The Gorgeous New Mexico Wilderness – Islands

Published

22 hours ago

March 21, 2026

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The ‘Most Romantic Hot Springs In The Southwest’ Are Sheltered In The Gorgeous New Mexico Wilderness – Islands

If you’re looking for the perfect romantic spot for a couple’s getaway, a proposal, or an anniversary, there are the usual suspects. You could sip champagne in Paris, take a moonlit walk along the beach in Mexico, or sit by a cozy fire in Switzerland, one of Europe’s most romantic countries. However, if you’re outdoorsy, there is another option for you. Inside the beautiful Gila National Forest in New Mexico, home to the extraordinary Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, you’ll find the Turkey Creek Hot Springs. This spot, called the “most romantic hot springs in the Southwest” by Desertlavender.com, requires a bit of work to get to, but it’s worth it, as you’re not going to get the crowds you would if it were simply a place you could drive to. One of a number of hot springs in the area, Turkey Creek Hot Springs is on the south side of the Gila Wilderness, inside the Gila National Forest. To reach this romantic area, you’ll have to take a rather strenuous hike, including a crawl through a relatively small opening called the Keyhole, but what’s waiting for you at the end is an idyllic area with toasty warm water that comes out around 165 degrees Fahrenheit and is cooled off by the chill waters of the creek.

You’ll need a car to get to the area, which is around 45 miles from Silver City and around 205 miles from El Paso International Airport. You may want to choose a high-clearance, four-wheel-drive vehicle to navigate the twisty gravel road to the trailhead.

How to reach Turkey Creek Hot Springs

The Gila Wilderness is just under 560,000 acres of land to explore, and doesn’t require any passes or permits to visit. Check with the Gila National Forest District ranger station for directions, and to make sure the trail is open. The Turkey Creek Hot Springs Trail is 8.3 miles round-trip with a 469-foot elevation gain, featuring some beautiful views of the surrounding cliffs and lush greenery. There’s some scrambling, as well as river crossings, so make sure to leave enough time. Once you drive down the gravel road to the trailhead (which is listed on Google Maps), you’ll hike along a washed-out road and cross the Gila River. The water can get rather high, so you might want to bring a change of shoes. Keep your eyes open for a fork in the trail that goes to the Skeleton Canyon Trail on one side and the hot springs on the other. There is a camping area along Turkey Creek, about 2 miles up from where you start, so you can pack in and out if you don’t want to drive out of the park after your hike.

Once you get to the springs, you’ll have a choice of spots for a leisurely soak, with numerous warm pools around. That way, even if there are other people (and keep in mind that clothing is optional at many of New Mexico’s springs), you’re likely to have luck finding a place to be relatively alone. Finally, while you’re in the Gila National Forest, check out the largely abandoned town of Mogollon, full of gold rush charm.

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New Mexico

Albuquerque man accused in $50K school A/C theft, history of similar crimes

Published

1 day ago

March 21, 2026

Press Room

Albuquerque man accused in K school A/C theft, history of similar crimes

An Albuquerque man is accused of stealing wiring from a school’s air conditioning unit, leading to at least $50,000 in damages.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – An Albuquerque man is accused of stealing wiring from a school’s air conditioning unit, leading to at least $50,000 in damages.

But court records show he’s been arrested for similar crimes in recent months and hasn’t faced consequences.

Tyler Hammond, 43, is wanted by Albuquerque police after allegedly stealing key components from an A/C unit at Alice King Community School, a K-8 charter school in northeast Albuquerque, on March 9.

A police report indicates the school was informed by inspectors that the unit couldn’t be repaired and therefore had to be replaced at a cost of $50,000 minimum.

Hammond was reportedly caught on surveillance video two days before the alleged crime scoping out the area.

A search of his criminal history in New Mexico reveals dozens of similar cases over the last two decades, including several in the past few months.

However, three recent burglary/larceny cases in 2025 didn’t lead to Hammond facing consequences; instead ending with prosecutors filing a nolle prosequi, meaning they did not want to or were not able to continue pursuing the case.

Many times, prosecutors file a nolle prosequi when a witness, often a police officer, fails to show up to a court hearing. Court documents indicate that is what happened in at least two of those three recent cases.

The most recent of those cases came in Dec. of 2025 after police arrested Hammond for allegedly stealing wiring from a streetlight near the campus of the University of New Mexico.

There was a similar case in August 2025 in which Hammond was reportedly found by police with drills and pipe cutters after going onto the roof of Coronado Mall.

And police say he targeted another school the month before that. In July of last year, police were called to Eldorado High School after an unknown man was spotted walking around the campus with a cart. They say it turned out to be Hammond, who then informed police he had just swallowed fentanyl.

Police searched through his belongings and found items “consistent with burglary tools,” but that case did not lead to Hammond being prosecuted either.

Hammond is also facing a felony conspiracy to commit shoplifting charge and is due in court on that case on March 30.

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