FILE – A trickle of water comes out of the faucet of Mary Gaines a resident of the Golden Keys Senior Living apartments in her kitchen in Jackson, Miss., Sept. 1, 2022. The NAACP said Tuesday, Sept. 27, that Mississippi is discriminating against Jackson’s majority-Black population by diverting badly needed federal funds for drinking water infrastructure to white communities that needed it less. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — The Camino Real Regional Utility Authority (CRRUA) said it has passed its arsenic water sample test for the fifth time in a row.
The utility provides water for the Santa Teresa and Sunland Park areas.
The tests results released by Eurofins Environment Testing, a water lab certified by the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED), show that the arsenic levels at three of the four CRRUA’s arsenic treatment facilities (ATF) are below the federal limit, according to the utility.
The utility said it excluded the Border Entry ATF from the testing due to the continued meeting of all NMED requirements.
| Sample Location (Arsenic Treatment Facility (AFT)) | Sample Results (ppb) | Arsenic MCL 10 (ppb) |
| Sunland Park (ATF) | 5.0 | Below MCL |
| Santa Teresa Community (ATF) | 2.8 | Below MCL |
| Santa Teresa Industrial Park (ATF) | 4.1 | Below MCL |
| Border Entry (AFT) | Excluded | N/A |
“In addition to CRRUA’s voluntary self-governance practice of twice monthly arsenic testing, NMED conducts its own quarterly testing,” read the press release.
NMED’s second quarter test results from water samples, which were taken April 3, show arsenic levels below the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 10 parts per billion (ppb).
| Sample Location (AFT) | Sample Result (ppb) | Arsenic MCL 10 (ppb) |
| Storage Tank #1 (Border Entry) | 3.0 | Below MCL |
| Industrial Park Arsenic (AFT) | 7.0 | Below MCL |
| Sunland Park Arsenic (AFT) | 5.0 | Below MCL |
| Santa Teresa Community | 6.0 | Below MCL |
The utility has been under fire for water quality issues. Residents in the area have told KTSM that they have had issues for months and some even years.