Watchdogging our water quality

The City of Santa Fe’s water conservation program hosts a weekly radio show called “SaveWater Santa Fe” on Que Suave 99.9 FM/810 AM. The show airs everyThursday morning at 8a.m. I had the pleasure of recently interviewing Alex Puglisi who is the environmental compliance officer for the city. His office is responsible for protecting the city’s source water and ensuring that it meets the water quality standards set by federal and state laws and regulations.

On the radio show, we were discussing the 2017Water Quality Report that most everyone in the city should have received in the mail. The report is filled with so much information regarding the city’s water supply and how it compares to standards set by federal and state regulatory agencies such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the New Mexico Environment Department.

The report starts off with a detailed section on the City’s sources of supply. It discusses how things like microbes, pesticides, and radioactive contaminants end up in the different sources of water as well as the treatment processes that ensure our customers’ protection from any pathogenic microorganisms that have the capability to cause sickness, especially in immuno-compromised persons. Blue Baby syndrome, caused by excessive nitrates in the water, is a concern for most people, as is naturally occurring arsenic. Both of these met the federal drinking water standard.

Lead is also a concern, especially after the Flint, Michigan, water crisis. None of the tests for lead exceeded the minimum limits; however, another round of tests (which are only conducted every three years) will be done this year. Overall, the city met all of the EPA and state drinking-water quality limits.

The city monitors its water system above and beyond what is required by state and federal regulations. There is a set of unregulated contaminants such as chromium and hexavalent chromium that are not regulated under the Safe DrinkingWater Act but that the city tests for anyway. Santa Fe also works with Los Alamos National Laboratory and the New Mexico Environment Department to monitor things like radionuclides and high explosives. The city does additional voluntary monitoring at the Canyon Road Water Treatment Plant and the city and Buckman wells.

Hopefully everyone will take some time to go through the report. It’s a great resource for people interested in all the components of the city’s water supply. It also demonstrates all of the hard work the city does on behalf of its customers to ensure a reliable and safe drinking water supply.

Personally, I’d like to give a huge thanks to Alex Puglisi and all of his staff. Alex is so knowledgeable and is such a dedicated employee and works across the city and state with so many people and organizations. He’s just been a wonderful person to learn from.

To viewa copy of the report online please visit www.santafenm.gov/water_quality.

Christine Y. Chavez has a background in water rights administration and energy and water conservation program management in the state ofNewMexico. She is a graduate of New Mexico State University with a B.S. in environmental science and an M.S. in biology. Christine is the water conservation manager for the City of Santa Fe. She may be reached at 505.955.4219 or cychavez@santafenm.gov.