Roughly two months after drinking water that was deemed unsafe due to high pH levels in December 2023, a group of Sunland Park and Santa Teresa residents have initiated the process of a civil lawsuit against the area’s utility.
During a special meeting of the Camino Real Regional Utility Authority on Monday, attorney Jessica Insurriaga informed the Board of an upcoming civil rights lawsuit on behalf of a group of residents.
CRRUA, along with Sunland Park, Dona Ana County Board of County Commissioners, the State of New Mexico, CRRUA chair Susana Chaparro and former CRRUA Executive Director Brent Westmoreland are named in a notice of tort claim, citing “economic damages and health issues.”
Las Cruces attorney Israel Chávez then held a small press conference outside of the Board meeting to announce the lawsuit, which he claims to currently involve a group of “at least five” that could grow larger as the lawsuit is still in the early stages.
“The people in this community have drawn a line in the sand, but the people of this community have also indicated that they don’t know if they want to be in front of the camera, so we will do it for them,” Chávez said. “We will ensure that the people that were affected by this civil rights injustice and the continuing civil rights injustices in this community related to water are heard.”