October 6, 2015

Public Utilities Seeks to Assure Residents, Customers of Water Quality

Santa Fe, NM – The City of Santa Fe Public Utilities Division would like to assure Santa Fe City and County water customers that recent public health emergency concerns of elevated lead levels as detected in Flint, Michigan pose no concerns for Santa Fe residents.

A public health emergency has been declared in Flint, Michigan, after tests showed the city’s water supply is causing elevated levels of lead in children, following months of complaints about the smell and taste.

Alex Puglisi, City of Santa Fe Source of Supply Manager and Environmental Compliance Officer, comments “The City of Santa Fe has been in compliance with the Lead and Copper standards of the Safe Drinking Water Act since the passage of the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) in 1991.” On June 7, 1991, the United States Environmental Protection Agency published a regulation to control lead and copper in drinking water.

The city’s water division has just completed its biennial sampling of homes in the city that have the greatest likelihood of having lead and copper concentration in their tap water because of the older plumbing used at their residence. The preliminary results of this 2015 sampling show compliance with the EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Act standards of lead and copper levels.

“We produce some of the finest quality water in the United States and the City’s Water Division is very diligent in testing and safeguarding the quality of our water we provide to our customers,” confirmed Director Nick Schiavo.

For any questions or concerns about your water quality please visit the City of Santa Fe’s Annual Water Report online at: http://www.santafenm.gov/how_much_water_do_we_use_reports_and_studies or contact Alex Puglisi at 505-955-4232, or aapuglisi@ci.santa-fe.nm.us.