The Camino Real Regional Utility Authority said it is addressing arsenic treatment facilities that serve Sunland Park and Santa Teresa that has resulted in discolored water in the industrial area and subdivisions north of Sunland Park.
In a press release posted on its website, Interim Executive Director Juan Carlos Crosby said the water is safe to drink, cook and bathe with and does not need to be boiled first.
According to the utility, the discoloration is due to sediments in the arsenic filter media that accumulated over time in the Santa Teresa Industrial Park Arsenic Treatment Plant.
Crosby said maintenance issues prior to his appointment last month have resulted in the current issues. The utility is backwashing the arsenic filter media, which Crosby said should take place every two weeks.
“We discovered that regular backwashing did not occur as needed, so now we are having to do it every two days until sediment deposits in the filter media are removed,” Crosby said in the release. “Until then, the water could appear discolored at times as the sediments are being disturbed during the backwash process.”