Middle Rio Grande Regional Water Plan

Section 303(d) further requires the states to prioritize their listed waters for development of total
maximum daily load (TMDL) management plans, which document the amount of a pollutant a
waterbody can assimilate without violating a state water quality standard and allocates that load
capacity to known point sources and nonpoint sources at a given flow. Figure 5-13 shows the
locations of lakes and stream reaches included in the 303(d) list. Table 5-8 provides details of
impairment for those reaches. Common causes of impairment in the in the Middle Rio Grande
region include aluminum, E. coli bacteria, sediment/turbidity, temperature, and biological
indicators and nutrients. Some locations also showed elevated arsenic, boron, mercury,
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and gross alpha.
In evaluating the impacts of the 303(d) list on the regional water planning process, it is important
to consider that impairments are tied to designated uses. Some problems can be very disruptive
to a healthy aquatic community, while others reduce the safety of water recreation or increase the
risk of fish consumption. Impairments will not necessarily make the water unusable for
irrigation or even for domestic water supply, but the water may need treatment prior to use and
the costs of this should be recognized.
Generally the quality of groundwater in the planning region is good, but there are areas with
naturally occurring elevated arsenic and uranium and isolated areas that have been contaminated
by manmade sources as well. One particular concern in the Middle Rio Grande region is the
Kirtland Air Force Base jet fuel spill that has affected the regional aquifer in the Albuquerque
area. The project is part of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) with oversight
from NMED (2015c).
Specific types and sources of contaminants that have the potential to impact either surface or
groundwater quality are discussed below. Sources of contamination are considered as one of two
types: (1) point sources, if they originate from a single location, or (2) nonpoint sources, if they
originate over a more widespread or unspecified location. Information on both types of sources
is provided below.
5.4.1 Potential Sources of Contamination to Surface and Groundwater
Specific sources that have the potential to impact either surface or groundwater quality in the
future are discussed below. These include municipal and industrial sources, leaking underground
storage tanks, landfills, and nonpoint sources.
5.4.1.1 Municipal and Industrial Sources
As discussed in Section 4.2.2, a person or facility that discharges a pollutant from a point source
to a surface water that is a water of the United States must obtain an NPDES permit. An NPDES
permit must assure compliance with the New Mexico Water Quality Standards. A person or
facility that discharges contaminants that may move into groundwater must obtain a groundwater
discharge permit from the New Mexico Environment Department. A groundwater discharge
permit ensures compliance with New Mexico groundwater quality standards. The NMWQCC
regulations also require abatement of groundwater contamination that exceeds standards.
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