NEW MEXICO (KRQE) — The New Mexico Environment Department announced they have reached a settlement with Camino Real Regional Utility Authority for multiple violations it committed since 2023.
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CRRUA will have to pay a penalty of $189,000 dollars. The department says for years, the company failed to deliver safe and reliable drinking water to the residents of Sunland Park by exceeding arsenic limits, failing to notify customers of high PH levels, and failing to make corrections found in multiple sanitary surveys.
“The Environment Department has for years worked to hold CRRUA accountable for repeatedly failing its duty to deliver safe and reliable drinking water to the residents of Sunland Park,” said Bruce Baizel, Director of NMED’s Compliance and Enforcement Division. “The settlement announced today is a significant first step. We are still pursuing a court-appointed independent manager to oversee operations going forward.”
The settlement addresses five “Notices of Violation” issued to CRRUA between 2020 and 2024. According to the New Mexico Environment Department, that includes the following:
- Exceedance of federal Safe Drinking Water Act arsenic limits
- Failure to notify customers of high pH levels and take appropriate action to protect them
- Failure to correct deficiencies found in multiple sanitary surveys of CRRUA’s operations
Over the past year, the CRRUA has met water quality standards, but the system had several outstanding violations. The environment department is still seeking an independent manager to oversee operations…