State issues violation notice as CRRUA delays for months fixing a water tank issue

SUNLAND PARK, N. M. (KFOX14/CBS4) — The troubled water utility company that serves Sunland Park and Santa Teresa is on the defense as the state issued them a “Notice of Violation” as for months they’ve failed to fix a water tank issue.

On Tuesday, the Camino Real Regional Utility Authority (CRRUA) issued an alert, saying that it is sending letters to its customers clarifying why they missed a deadline to install a splash pad at the Tierra Madre storage tank, a move that helps prevent ground erosion at the base of the water tank.

According to the New Mexico Environment Department’s (NMED) sanitary survey, the deadline for CRRUA to install that splash pad was May 31.

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Six months later CRRUA said that “addressing this issue is a priority,” and that it has secured a contractor to review the erosion, and that it is working with engineers to develop a “cost-effective approach” to control erosion at that water tank.

CRRUA said it expects to finish this correction sometime in 2025 and stressed that the issue does not impact the quality of its water.

Below you can find the “progress checklist” which details all the deficiencies NMED found at CRRUA (the “checkmark” means those issues have been addressed and the “P” means CRRUA is in the process of correcting those issues).

The splash pad at Tierra Madre Tank is deficiency number 50.

The original deadline to address the 58 deficiencies was Dec. 15, but NMED granted CRRUA an extension, giving them until June 15, 2025, to finish the checklist.

On Monday, CRRUA boasted it has resolved 91.3 percent of the deficiencies, saying it only has to address five more issues before it’s in full compliance with NMED standards.

CRRUA claims significant progress, says its 91% compliant with state standards

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