Arsenic in Dona Ana County Water:  Citizens Take Warning

El Arsénico en el Agua:  Cuidado Ciudadanos!

 NMPolitics.net carries a story, written by Maria Esquinca and Andrea Jaramillo, about water problems in poor communities on the U.S. side of the US-Mexico border.  The writers apparently hail from the School of Journalism at Arizona State University.  Part of the story deals with a small community near Lordsburg, and with La Union, NM., and it is worth reading.  Click here

A major gap in the story is the scandal of Sunland Park last year, where officials at every level refused to spread the alarm when arsenic levels (see La Political New Mexico archives for May 28 and June 4, 2016) surpassed safe levels, and where, incredibly, a county commissioner (David Garcia) representing the Southern part of the county actually blamed the residents of Sunland Park for not paying more attention to the quality of the water, in spite of extensive evidence the relevant information had been ignored and possibly supressed by officials entrusted with water quality.  Only Senator Papen, of all elected officials, stepped up to demand answers. 

That officials in Dona Ana County still don't feel responsible for water quality is given by the information provided in the NMPolitics story that residents of La Union, like those of Sunland Park, were not informed when arsenic levels reached unsafe proportions.  Residents of the rural areas of Dona Ana County should be very doubtful of the water they drink, until demonstrably proven to be safe, and should raise hell with elected officials until systems are put in place to prevent this from happening.  Personally, I will not drink a drop of water South of Las Cruces; there may be some systems that are safe, but I want independent assurances of this before I drink.  Ask Olga Arguelles, City Councilor of Sunland Park, about this.  Ask City Councilor Ken Giove about his months-long efforts to get basic information about the water quality.  At least some water quality systems in the Southern part of the county simply don't believe they need to inform the public when their systems fail to deliver safe water.  This is a public safety issue that should arouse the anger of every resident in the Southern part of Dona Ana County.