State offers free water quality tests in Ruidoso

• Tests only for well water

Staffs of the New Mexico Environment Department and the New Mexico Department of Health are offering a free Domestic Well Water Testing event today, Aug. 18, and Saturday, Aug. 19, at the Eastern New Mexico University-Ruidoso campus on Mechem Drive in Ruidoso.

Well owners are encouraged to periodically test their drinking water, although such tests can be costly, starting at $150. The free testing is from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., today, and from 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday.

These free well water tests will be offered on a first‐come, first‐served basis to the first 200 participants, or while supplies are available. Test results will be mailed to households following the event.

More than 80 free water testing events have been conducted in rural communities and major cities throughout the state of New Mexico under the Martinez Administration.

“New Mexico’s Environment Department provides the advice and assistance that New Mexicans need to ensure that clean drinking water is available,” Environment Secretary Butch Tongate said. “Our water fair testing events are conducted throughout the state, at no cost, to encourage participation, heighten awareness, and to educate private well owners about safe, clean drinking water.”

This money‐saving opportunity is the chance for Ruidoso area households to check pH, specific conductance, and the levels of fluoride, iron, sulfate, and nitrate in their well water. These constituents may be naturally occurring or result from sources including fertilizer, animal waste, and septic tanks. Drinking water with high levels of nitrate can be dangerous to pregnant women and infants, while other contaminants may lead to aesthetic nuisances and other health problems.

Additionally, well owners will be able to check the arsenic level in their water, which is not commonly included in general testing. Arsenic occurs naturally in the Southwest and has been measured in water from certain private wells in New Mexico at concentrations that exceed recommended drinking water quality health standards.

About 20 percent of New Mexicans receive their water from private wells, which are the responsibility of the private well owner.

"Well testing is critical, as private well characteristics can vary greatly from one well to the next, even if the wells are right next to one another," Matthew Smith of the Environment Department’s Ground Water Quality Bureau said. "According to survey responses, most private well owners in New Mexico do not use any sort of water treatment system, so it’s especially important for those well owners to understand what is in their well water. Most New Mexicans surveyed have never had their well water tested before or are not sure if they have done so. Our water fairs help to change that, by creating awareness and providing knowledge of safe drinking water parameters.”

To support well owners, more information about wells, water quality and safety is available at https://nmtracking.org/water .

To have water tested, residents need to bring a sample of their water to the event. The departments suggest:

• Fill a clean glass or plastic container, without any strong odors, with at least a quart or liter of your well water.

• Collect the water before it runs through any water treatment or filters such as an R.O., a carbon filter, or a water softener. If the home has a whole house filtration system, collect the water at the well head.

• Let the water run for a couple of minutes before collecting the sample.

• Fill the container with the water as close to the time of testing as possible.

Along with the water sample, residents should bring basic information known about the well such as well depth, depth to water, well casing material (i.e., steel, pvc), well latitude/longitude, and distance from well to the nearest septic tank/leachfield system. A sample form for gathering this useful information is available at https://nmtracking.org/view/pdf/environment/water/private_wells/water_fairs/WF_form.pdf.

If well owners are unable to attend the event, but would like to have their water tested, they may have their sample brought to the event by a family member or neighbor as long as the bottle is clearly labeled with their name, phone number, and address and information about the well is attached. The departments will only test water that comes from homes that rely on private wells for drinking water. Water from households that are connected to city/community/public water system is periodically tested and those results are available at https://dww.water.net.env.nm.gov/DWW/ .

For more information about this water testing opportunity, contact the Environment Department at 505‐827‐2797.