Public Hearing on Chromium Mitigation Permit (DP 1793)
Wednesday November 7th from 9-5pm at Los Alamos Magistrate Court (2500 Trinity Drive, Los Alamos)
Come Join Us and Give a Public Comment!
See below for talking points and other fact sheets to download.
Written Comments: While giving a public comment at the hearing is the best way to comment, a written comment can also be sent via email to: John Verheal at: john.verheal@state.nm.us , Steve Pullen at: steve.pullen@state.nm.us , and Pam Castaneda at: pam.castaneda@state.nm.us
Comments can also be submitted via US mail to: Pam Castaneda, Administrator to Boards and Commissions, P.O. Box 5469, Santa Fe, NM 87502
Issue specific sample comments can be downloaded here: Bioremediation, Precautionary Principle, Clean Up Levels, and Multiple Issues
Or click here for a prepared email comment.
Background: From 1956 to 1972, Los Alamos National Laboratory, (LANL), routinely dumped water from cooling towers into the headwaters of Sandia Canyon, which flows to the Rio Grande. Because the water was first pumped through the pipes of an old power plant, it was contaminated by significant amounts of hexavalent chromium, a highly toxic chemical which is added to alloy steel to prevent corrosion.
In 2015, the New Mexico Environment Department issued a permit allowing Los Alamos National Laboratory to discharge up to 350,000 gallons a day of treated water associated with pumping tests, well development and groundwater remediation.
Expressing concerns that discharging the treated water could end up pushing the chromium plume closer to drinking water wells, Communities for Clean Water, a coalition of environmental groups, repeatedly sought a public hearing and the New Mexico Environment Department repeatedly denied those requests for a public hearing. With representation from the New Mexico Environmental Law Center, the Communities for Clean Water coalition took the matter to the Courts. In December of 2017, the state Court of Appeal sided with Communities for Clean Water, finding that the New Mexico Environment Department should not have denied requests for a hearing. The Environment Department has now been forced to hold a public hearing.
Hearing Details
Public Hearing on Chromium Mitigation Permit (DP1793)
Date: November 7th, 2018
Location: Los Alamos Magistrate Court (2500 Trinity Drive, Los Alamos)
Time: 9am – 5pm
