Spring 1999 Bulletin

Red River Tops Water Quality Monitoring List The New Mexico Environment Department has decided to move up the TMDL (Total Maximum Daily Load) assessment on the Red River, originally scheduled for 2017, to this year. By establishing river-specific pollution standards, TMDLs are one of the most important tools we have to protect the health of our rivers, and therefore our communities. Surface Water Quality Chief Jim Davis says the decision was made in part because of regulatory permits currently pending on the Red River and because of the attention citizen action has focused on the watershed. Years of persistent work by local citizen groups and Amigos Bravos, as well as our recent lawsuits, are gradually making a difference on the Red River! What's a TMDL? Under the federal Clean Water Act, states must monitor and improve water quality on all polluted or threatened stretches of river. By establishing a pollution "budget,"stated in terms of "Total Maximum Daily Loads" of a variety of different pollutants, rivers are kept clean by controlling pollution sources to make sure that TMDLs are not exceeded. Rivers should remain on the TMDL list until the water quality is verifiably improved and supporting certain designated uses, such as fishing, swimming, or drinking. As part of a state technical team, Amigos Bravos helped devise the comprehensive sampling plan for the Red River TMDL assessment, which includes testing for the entire range of water-quality variables at 38 sites throughout the watershed, as well as sampling fish and aquatic insect populations at key locations. To determine the dilution effects of water levels in different seasons, sampling will take place during the weeks of May 10, August 9, and September 20. The final product will be a clear and systematic picture of pollution and pollution sources on the Red River, collected under quality-control requirements that will satisfy the letter of the law. The most recent published report of the New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission determined that over 3,795 miles of New Mexico rivers––over 43% of our perennial waterways–– do not meet water quality standards. The TMDL process, whether on the Red River or any of the dozens of other polluted rivers throughout New Mexico, is one of the only ways the state has to address pollution sources. Amigos Bravos will coordinate volunteers to help with this huge undertaking. Contact our office if you're interested in participating. For more information or a copy of the Red River TMDL sampling plan, contact: David Hogge, Surface Water Quality Bureau, New Mexico Environment Department, PO Box 26110, Santa Fe, NM 87502; 505-827-2981.

Please return to Spring 1999 Bulletin Index.