New Mexico

New Mexico gets $18.9 million to clean up ‘forever chemicals’ in state’s water systems

Published

2 years ago

May 29, 2024

New Mexico gets .9 million to clean up ‘forever chemicals’ in state’s water systems

Toxic “forever chemicals” present in New Mexico’s water supplies could be cleaned up thanks to millions of dollars in federal funds offered to the state as it grapples with industrial contamination.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are synthetic chemicals resulting from several industrial practices like manufacturing and recently linked to oil and gas production in New Mexico. The chemicals do not break down in the environment, and are believed the cause of several health impacts including cancer from long-term exposure. Because of nationwide contamination and exposure, PFAS are found in the blood of most people, read an EPA report.

The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) petitioned the federal government in 2021 to designate PFAS as hazardous material and strengthen state oversight on their use and remediation, in response to contamination found around the state’s Air Force bases and believed leeched into groundwater from firefighting foam. To that end, the U.S. Environment Protection Agency (EPA) announced May 23 it would provide $18.9 million to New Mexico to fund efforts analyzing the extent of PFAS contamination, and other “emerging contaminants” in the state while identifying strategies to protect ground and surface water sources.

The program will focus on “disadvantaged communities,” read a news release, and was developed via the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed by President Joe Biden in November 2021.

More: ‘Forever chemicals’ found in Pecos River – What does that mean for your health?

Using the funds, NMED will conduct a series of public water sampling for PFAS throughout New Mexico over about two years, evaluating which communities are the most in need of assistance. NMED said it also planned public outreach in those communities where it finds the worst contamination to aid in clean up strategies.

The funds are available for five years, the EPA said, and will help devise a plan to identify PFAS contamination sites in public water systems, removing the substances and educating communities before implementing its plans for remediation.

“Clean, safe drinking water is something every person in New Mexico deserves,” said EPA Regional Administrator Earthea Nance, in a statement. “With this funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the New Mexico Environment Department will be able to take crucial steps to safeguard New Mexico’s drinking water from PFAS and other emerging contaminants.”

U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM) who participated in a ceremony at the Roundhouse in Santa Fe celebrating the funds May 23, said cleaning up PFAS contamination in New Mexico and across the U.S. should be a priority of the federal government.

“Combating per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as forever chemicals or PFAS, in our public water systems is essential to provide safe water for communities in New Mexico,” Stansbury said in a statement. “New Mexicans know water is life, and they also know the state’s Democratic leaders are dedicated to cleaning the water supply for generations to come.”

U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) said the federal dollars would augment ongoing efforts at the state level to investigate PFAS contamination and hold polluters accountable.

“Contamination and pollution from forever chemicals like PFAS threaten clean drinking water supplies that New Mexico communities depend upon,” he said.

“I am proud to welcome $18.9 million that we secured through the Infrastructure Law to ramp up New Mexico’s urgent efforts to detect pollution and protect our precious water resources from PFAS and other emerging contaminants.”

More: New Mexico called on to ban ‘forever chemicals’ in oil and gas, as feds push restrictions

In the 2021 petition, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham called on the EPA to strengthen its PFAS restrictions, leading to a Feb. 1 proposal from the agency to list the contaminants federally as hazardous waste. This allowed the State and federal agencies more authority in restricting the release of PFAS into local water supplies and requiring clean up by entities responsible. These federal regulations came amid calls from environmental groups to see PFAS banned from fluids used in hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking” used by oil and gas operators to reach underground shale deposits containing fossil fuels.

The presence of PFAS in oil and gas drilling operations was suggested in a 2023 study by Physicians for Social Responsibility. The report showed since 2013 two chemicals categorized as PFAS were found in fracking operations, along with three categories of chemicals that could be PFAS but were shrouded by “trade secrets,” said the study’s lead author Dustin Horwitt, upon releasing the study on April 11, 2023.

The use of PFAS in fracking was refuted by Missi Currier, president of the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association in a column published in the Carlsbad Current-Argus on May 3. She responded to an April 10 study by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) that found PFAS in all rivers in New Mexico, including the Pecos River in the southeast Permian Basin region.

The USGS study indicated the contamination was slightly higher in sample wells conducted in the southern portion of the Pecos, after flowing through urban areas and the Permian Basin oilfields.

Currier contended the contaminants were introduced into the Pecos River before it reached the oil and gas region.

“Concerns that the oil and gas industry introduces per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – or PFAS – into its produced water are unwarranted,” she wrote. “To be clear, the oil and gas industry is not a source of PFAS in produced water.”

Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on the social media platform X.

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New Mexico

The Roundhouse Report: Bernie Sanders praises New Mexico

Published

1 hour ago

January 4, 2026

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The Roundhouse Report: Bernie Sanders praises New Mexico

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New Mexico

Blizzard warnings and winter storm warnings in effect for parts of New Mexico

Published

6 days ago

December 29, 2025

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Blizzard warnings and winter storm warnings in effect for parts of New Mexico

Southeastern New Mexico will see some snow while other places will generally see cooler, more winter-like temperatures. See the latest conditions at KOB.com/Weather.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Some notable cities in New Mexico could see multiple inches of snow, along with possible wind and cooler temperatures Sunday into Monday.

There is going to be snow across the southeast. A winter storm advisory is in effect all throughout areas like Ruidoso and out toward the Texas state line. A winter storm warning for Carlsbad and even a blizzard warning for the Guadalupe Mountains. These advisories and warnings indicate it’s going to continue until Monday at 6 p.m.

How much snow might there be? Ruidoso could see a few inches, along with other higher-elevation areas. Carlsbad might even see as much as two inches and Roswell has a very good chance of snow.

Wind gusts ranged from 23 mph for Hobbs and Clovis, 25 in Santa Rosa and similar readings in other places. Temperatures could hit sub-freezing temperatures in places like Ruidoso, Roswell, Carlsbad and Hobbs. Meanwhile, Gallup and Grants could get into the single-digits. Plus, places like Albuquerque and Santa Fe will be in the 20s but the big “winner” is Alamosa, Colorado, with 2 degrees.

Chief Meteorologist Eddie Garcia shares all the details in his full forecast in the video above.

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New Mexico

New Mexico Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 Day results for Dec. 27, 2025

Published

7 days ago

December 28, 2025

Press Room

The New Mexico Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 27, 2025, results for each game:

Powerball

05-20-34-39-62, Powerball: 01, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick 3

Day: 4-1-4

Evening: 3-8-4

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Lotto America

08-10-20-47-50, Star Ball: 04, ASB: 05

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick 4

Evening: 6-9-5-0

Day: 4-9-4-3

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Roadrunner Cash

03-21-24-33-37

Check Roadrunner Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Powerball Double Play

13-22-33-61-62, Powerball: 20

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Las Cruces Sun-News editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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