NMED says the association missed a June deadline, has not proposed corrective action and has not reported that the affected well was taken offline

Damien Willis, Organ Mountain News

DOÑA ANA - The Doña Ana Mutual Domestic Water Consumers Association faces an additional state violation after failing to notify customers about uranium levels exceeding federal drinking-water standards, according to the New Mexico Environment Department.

The association was required to provide public notice by June 11 but has not notified NMED that it did so, the department told Organ Mountain News in response to written questions.

“NMED will be issuing an additional violation to Doña Ana for failing to provide public notice to customers,” the department said.

Uranium measured above federal limit

The original notice of violation concerned uranium detected at Treatment Plant No. 5.

Four samples collected during 2025 were combined and analyzed as a single composite sample, producing a result of 48 micrograms per liter. That result was assigned to all four quarters for compliance purposes, NMED said.

The federal maximum contaminant level for uranium in drinking water is 30 micrograms per liter.

NMED said future uranium samples from the location will be analyzed quarterly rather than as a composite.

A new sample was collected June 10, but the laboratory had not provided either unofficial or official results as of Friday, according to the department.

The association also has not submitted proposed corrective action, NMED said.

NMED could not confirm whether Treatment Plant No. 5 remains in operation. The department said the association has not informed regulators that the well has been taken offline.

Extent of affected distribution area unclear

The affected well is in the Doña Ana section of the association’s system. The association also serves Fort Selden and Picacho Hills, and all three sections are connected through a single distribution system.

NMED estimates that the broader system serves 16,987 customers. The department did not specify how many customers receive water directly from Treatment Plant No. 5.

NMED also said it does not know whether schools, nursing homes, apartment complexes or other facilities serving vulnerable populations are located within the affected distribution area.

Quarterly violations could continue

The association will remain on a quarterly uranium-monitoring schedule. Each new result will be incorporated into an updated running annual average.

The system will remain out of compliance until that average falls below 30 micrograms per liter, NMED said.

The association also will receive quarterly violations requiring 30-day public notice while the average remains above the federal limit.

NMED said it may issue an administrative compliance order, with or without civil penalties, if the violations are not resolved within two quarters.

The system has a history of uranium violations. NMED issued uranium maximum-contaminant-level violations in 2005 and 2006 involving Well No. 3. That well has since been inactivated.

Health department warns against boiling water

Kidney damage is the primary health concern associated with long-term uranium ingestion, according to the New Mexico Department of Health.

Prolonged exposure can cause kidney inflammation, reduced kidney function and changes in urine composition, the department said.

NMDOH said uranium is not classified as a carcinogen by the National Toxicology Program, International Agency for Research on Cancer or U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. However, uranium can decay into radium, which may cause cancer after extensive, long-term exposure.

Health effects in children exposed to toxic levels of uranium are expected to be similar to those in adults, according to NMDOH. Human studies have not shown evidence that uranium exposure causes birth defects.

For drinking water confirmed to contain more than 30 micrograms of uranium per liter, NMDOH recommends an appropriate treatment system or an alternative drinking-water source.

Treatment methods that can remove uranium include reverse osmosis, strong-base anion exchange and distillation.

The department cautioned residents not to boil water containing uranium because boiling increases the contaminant’s concentration rather than removing it.

Residents may instead consider a point-of-use filtration system rated to remove uranium or use bottled water for drinking, NMDOH said.

Anyone concerned about possible uranium exposure should discuss it with a medical provider.

The health guidance does not establish which customers received water from Treatment Plant No. 5 or for how long.

Notice entered public database weeks later

The current enforcement matter began after NMED received an unofficial laboratory report March 25. The uranium result became official in the state database April 10, triggering the department’s internal notice-generation process.

A compliance officer drafted the violation notice April 29. It was sent for supervisory review May 4 and issued after approval by the bureau chief.

The notice was dated May 11 but did not appear in NMED’s public Enforcement Watch database until June because that is when the department’s data team entered it, NMED said.

The Doña Ana Mutual Domestic Water Consumers Association had not responded to questions from Organ Mountain News as of Saturday.

Damien Willis is founder and editor of Organ Mountain News. If you have a personal story to share or a lead we should follow up on, reach out at OrganMountainNews@gmail.com or connect with him on X at @damienwillis.