Doña Ana County begins separation from struggling water utility

SANTA TERESA — Doña Ana County officials assured residents of Sunland Park and Santa Teresa on Friday that drinking and wastewater services provided by the Camino Real Regional Utility Authority (CRRUA) would continue as the county and the city of Sunland Park conclude the agreement that founded the utility in 2009.

CRRUA supplies water to an estimated 19,466 individuals as well as industrial zones in Sunland Park, Santa Teresa and the area near the Santa Teresa Port of Entry.

County commissioners unanimously voted to withdraw from the compact at their May 14 meeting, triggering a four-year exit clause during which the border city and the county will conduct assessments of the utility’s pipelines, treatment plants, wells, tanks and other assets and develop an asset management plan for maintenance, upgrades and replacement of the system’s components.

Less clear, for now, is whether the split will end with the city and the county taking over service for their respective territories, or whether the county will explore contracting with a private operator.

County Manager Scott Andrews promised residents who have repeatedly faced discolored and contaminated water through system failures by CRRUA that the process would include transparent communications, listening and community input.

“For too long, residents and businesses, especially in and around Sunland Park, have faced real, ongoing challenges with water service,” Andrews said. “This is not the system our community deserves.”

The conference followed a meeting between county and Sunland Park representatives Friday morning to begin the process.

“We remain committed to working transparently and collaboratively with all partners involved to ensure that the interests of our residents are protected throughout this transition,” Sunland Park City Manager Mario Juarez-Infante, who serves as the CRRUA board of directors’ vice-chair, told the Journal.

County Commissioner Gloria Gameros, whose district encompasses CRRUA’s service area, said the county was considering opening a bilingual call center dedicated to reports about water service and possibly establishing water bottle filling stations. She said the county will use its website and social media channels for communications and to accept feedback as well as community meetings.

“Your voice is crucial to the success of this transition,” Gameros said. “Together, we can work towards a solution that better serves the community, and we are here to listen, to inform and to support you along the way.”

The county also acknowledged problems for CRRUA’s commercial customers in the borderlands industrial zone, where New Mexico has invested heavily in economic growth.

“There are commercial customers who can’t get as much water as they need to carry on their processes, and so they’re having to actually go to private well owners to supplement,” Assistant County Manager Stephen Lopez said. “There are concerns about water quality at some of the industrial facilities as well.”

The industrial sector could, in fact, be essential for financing improved water service and infrastructure to the county’s border region.

A 2024 study found that CRRUA’s utility rates are not enough to cover the costs of its operations, and an Environmental Protection Agency inspection in February cited 64 areas of concern, including damaged or inoperable components and degraded infrastructure the utility cannot afford to repair. Yet residents, including low-income communities who have suffered from water service problems for years, have balked at paying higher rates.

“The model that is used in other parts of the country, where utilities cover costs through rates, is not always fair for some of our communities, because it ends up meaning that some residents are paying way more than is fair,” Lopez said.

He said the county was prepared to invest in the water system for residents’ health and safety, and to boost growth among industrial customers as a way to recover costs in the long term.

On Wednesday, CRRUA reported that one of its arsenic treatment facilities in Santa Teresa, which exceeded the federal safety limit in April, was back in compliance based on follow-up testing.

Juarez-Infante said the city was “actively evaluating all options to support a long-term solution that ensures reliable infrastructure, public accountability, and safe water for every household and business in our community.”