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Heavy metals found in Mora County groundwater
A slurry bomber dumps fire retardant between the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire and homes on the west side of Las Vegas in May 2022. Several types of aircraft joined the fight to keep the fire away from the northern New Mexico town.
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High levels of heavy metals were found in Mora County’s groundwater and the New Mexico Department of Health is urging residents to get their wells tested and drink bottled water.
An independent geologic study found antimony, arsenic and uranium in levels that exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s safe drinking water limits, according to a Friday news release from NMDOH. The report also found that the amount of manganese in the water surpassed EPA guidelines.
Other metals, including barium, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, thallium and vanadium, were found in the water at higher concentrations, though they didn’t exceed EPA standards.
Although the department is still investigating where the heavy metals came from, they are found in fire suppressants, according to the release. It’s possible that the metals could be traced back to firefighting efforts during the 2022 Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire.
“There are potential long-term health effects that can develop over several years if people continue to drink untreated water with these levels of metals,” said Chelsea Langer, chief of the NMDOH Environmental Health Epidemiology Bureau.
The NMDOH warns that long-term exposure to antimony, arsenic and uranium could cause changes in liver function and blood chemistry, increased risk of certain cancers and cardiovascular disease, as well as brain and nervous system effects and cognitive impairment in children, according to the DOH’s fact sheet.
Infants, children and pregnant women are at higher risk of adverse health effects from exposure to these heavy metals.
The department also warned that boiling water will not purify it and can actually make water more concentrated with heavy metals as water evaporates. Instead, the department recommends drinking bottled water and installing a reverse osmosis filtration system in residents’ homes.
To test if a well’s water is contaminated, residents can send samples to one of 45 labs certified to analyze drinking water. The closest labs are in Red River, Santa Fe and Albuquerque.
In light of the news, the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management has a hotline with disaster case managers at (505) 670-4662 to connect Mora County residents to resources.
