I am writing today to announce the closure of the New Mexico Independent. After three and a half years of operation in New Mexico, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news…
While environmental activists played their part yesterday during demonstrations at the capitol building, going so far as to dress up as solar panels and to sing the tune of “You Are My Sunshine,” their counterparts, the anti-cap-and-trade contingency who has…
Roughly one quarter of University of New Mexico students are unimpressed with the state’s flagship public school, according to a survey that questioned college students about their higher education experiences.
Photo by Esther Gibbons.
Two years after Bernalillo spent at least $4.9 million installing new water treatment equipment, the state Environment Department will now step in to help the Town address problems with the system and drinking water quality, a Department spokeswoman told The Independent.
The the sludge is safe to drink, state drinking water bureau manager Mike Huber told the Albuquerque Journal Saturday. But the state has not yet completed chemical analyses to determine what chemicals, other than aluminum, are in the sludge, and residents with some health problems should consult with their doctors about consuming it, Huber told The Independent Monday.
The Town’s arsenic filtration systems have not consistently brought arsenic levels into compliance with federal drinking water standards, and have repeatedly dumped aluminum sludge into tap water, The Independent reported last week.
Environment Department officials will meet Tuesday with Town of Bernalillo staff, contract engineer Ramesh Narasimhan and representatives from ARS-USA to discuss the town’s drinking water problems, Department spokeswoman Marissa Bardino said.
The meeting will be held in Rio Rancho. It will not be open to the public, Bardino said.
The state is also in the process of conducting additional lab tests on the Town’s water.
“We will be collecting arsenic and aluminum samples before and after treatment to assist the Town in resolving the issue,” Bardino said. “We can detect arsenic even if it is bound (to aluminum) in the sludge matrix.”
The Albuquerque Journal reported the sludge is aluminum hydroxide residue and is safe to drink, quoting Narasimhan’s public relations representative Joanie Griffin and Huber. But the state has not yet actually analyzed what is in the sludge, and residents with some health problems should consult with their doctors before drinking the water, Huber acknowledged Monday in an email to The Independent.
“I cannot speak to the water chemistry until I see laboratory data,” Huber said in the email. “The substance of concern, aluminum, is not considered a health threat. (But) people with severely compromised immune systems, such as people with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, people who have undergone organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly, and infants may be more vulnerable to that drinking water than the general population. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers.”
The state issued a formal violation notification last week, saying arsenic levels for one of the Town’s two currently used wells, Well 3, violated drinking water regulations for arsenic.
It remains unclear whether the Town’s other active well, Well 4, is also in violation of arsenic regulations. Project engineer Ramesh Narasimhan, who is in charge of engineering the treatment systems, told The Independent last week he had been told by the Department that Well 4 was compliant with drinking water regulations for arsenic.
But state lab reports reviewed by The Independent showed arsenic levels in Well 4’s treated water as 37 parts per billion in December 2009 — nearly four times the federally-permitted level of 10 parts per billion.
That value was higher than historical results for the well, Huber said Monday — high enough that the state was unsure the result was accurate.
“I wanted to review lab quality assurance and quality control prior to making the running annual average determination,” Huber explained.
The Department will have determined whether Well 4 is also in violation of arsenic regulations within a week, Huber said Monday.
