On Feb. 11, 2026, the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) announced a $189,000 settlement with the Camino Real Regional Utility Authority (CRRUA) for notices of violations (NOV) NMED issued between March of 2020 and January 2024.
Of the five alleged NOVs, one was issued in 2020 and two in 2023, prior to when the current administration began. In January 2024 - the same month the CRRUA board of directors named Juan Crosby interim executive director - NMED issued two additional NOVs. One was for failure to correct four deficiencies identified in NMED’s 2023 Sanitary Survey. NMED released the Sanitary Survey in December 2023, which was also the same month CRRUA’s executive director at the time left the utility. The second violation was for exceeding the maximum contaminant level (MCL) for arsenic at one of the treatment facilities.
When Crosby began addressing the deficiencies in January 2024, NMED’s top four priorities at that time were the proper operation of CRRUA’s four arsenic treatment facilities (ATF); keeping arsenic levels in the drinking water within the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) MCL of 10 parts per billion (ppb); training plant operators; and to routinely check and document the calibration of all chemical addition pumps.
“In January 2024, CRRUA secured the services of a New Mexico certified Level 4 Operator in water/wastewater to oversee arsenic treatment operations and initiated voluntary twice monthly arsenic operational control tests utilizing an NMED certified laboratory. That same month, arsenic levels in water samples taken by CRRUA at all four ATFs were below the EPA MCL of 10 ppb,” Crosby said.
In March 2024, the CRRUA board of directors approved initiating improvements that resulted in the replacement of filter media in two of the four ATFs and physical upgrades to three water wells.
To track its progress in addressing the deficiencies identified by NMED in its 2023 Sanitary Survey, CRRUA initiated a progress checklist that is updated as corrections are made. CRRUA is currently 96.5% compliant having corrected 56 of the 58 deficiencies.
“It’s unfortunate that despite CRRUA’s measurable progress in strengthening and stabilizing the water utility from January 2024 through now, NMED chose to pursue punitive actions instead of offering the collaboration, financial resources and technical support to achieve the shared goal of long-term compliance,” Crosby said.
The $189,000 fine paid by CRRUA will be deposited in the Water Conservation Fund. “Although CRRUA recognizes that the Fund will benefit other utilities throughout the state, it is unfortunate that such funds could not have gone toward system enhancements and operational improvements to benefit CRRUA customers,” said Crosby.
CRRUA will continue working with NMED and the EPA to complete remaining administrative items, maintain consistent compliance with state and federal drinking water standards and improve operational performance across the utility.
Since January 2025, all four of CRRUA’s arsenic treatment facilities are NMED compliant based on the department’s Running Annual Average (RAA). As of January 2026, CRRUA has passed NMED’s last five consecutive quarterly compliance tests.
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