NMED NEWS RELEASE
The New Mexico Environment Department’s Emerging Contaminants Program today launched an interactive dashboard that allows residents to view PFAS testing results for their local public water system.
Since its launch in 2024, the program has helped 523 New Mexico public water systems sample for PFAS. A total of 15 systems tested above federal drinking water standards for PFAS. Through the Emerging Contaminants Program, NMED is working with these systems to evaluate the contamination and remediation options.
“Clean, safe drinking water starts with data-driven science and transparent information,” said Environment Secretary James Kenney. “By expanding free testing and making results publicly available, we’re helping communities understand emerging contaminants and take action to protect public health.”
“This program removes cost and access barriers for small and disadvantaged water systems,” said Claudia Trueblood, NMED’s Emerging Contaminants Program Manager. “We’re giving communities the tools they need to stay informed and confident in their water quality by making this statewide sampling data easily accessible to the public.”
Many of the areas with patterns of exceedances are not near currently-known PFAS contamination — highlighting that PFAS is not solely tied to sources, such as the military, that NMED has been addressing in recent years. Other potential sources of PFAS groundwater contamination include consumer products.
NMED is mitigating further contamination from PFAS-laden consumer products via rulemaking scheduled for Monday, February 23 through Friday, March 6. Members of the public interested in participating in the rulemaking can sign up for public comment every day from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. MT, virtually or in person. Links for remote participation can be found through NMED’s Calendar.
The New Mexico Environment Department’s Emerging Contaminants Program is an initiative funded through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities grant program, which provides states with resources to address contaminants of concern, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in public water systems.
New Mexico has 650 public water systems eligible for the program, representing about 62% of the 1,055 water systems throughout the state. Around 81% of New Mexicans are served by public water systems that draw from groundwater, and 170,000 New Mexicans depend on private groundwater wells for drinking water.
The dashboard is designed to support public understanding of PFAS sampling efforts and provide communities with clear, accessible information about their water systems. As sampling continues, NMED will update the platform regularly with new results, assuring New Mexicans have access to the most current information available.
For more information and to access the ECP data platform, visit: https://www.env.nm.gov/pfas/state-pfas-study/.