Water Information
Water Resources of New Mexico
Visit the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Web page for water resources of New Mexico; this is your direct link to all kinds of water-resource information. Here you'll find information on New Mexico's rivers and streams. You'll also find information about groundwater, water quality, and many other topics. The USGS operates the most extensive satellite network of stream-gaging stations in the state, many of which form the backbone of flood-warning systems.
Visit The New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute is located in Las Cruces, New Mexico at New Mexico State University. The NM WRRI was established in 1963 by the New Mexico legislature and approved under the 1964 federal Water Resources Research Act. The institute funds research conducted by faculty and students from universities across the state to address water problems critical to New Mexico and the Southwest. The institute also participates in joint efforts to solve water-related problems along the U.S./Mexico border. For additional information, please visit the NMWRRI website.
Visit the New Mexico Environment Departments Surface Water Quality Bureau website provides information on the preservation, and improvement of New Mexico's surface water quality for present and future generations. The NM Environment department also provides the ability to search your Public Water Supply systems called "Drinking Water Watch".
Surface Water Quality
The New Mexico Environment Department ensures that New Mexico's water quality meets the definition of water quality goals by designating uses for rivers, streams, lakes and other surface waters, setting criteria to protect those uses, and establishing anti degradation provisions to preserve water quality.
Water quality criteria are U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommended maximum concentrations for pollutants in ambient waters. The values are calculated, using primarily laboratory data, to protect most of the species most of the time, on a national basis. State agencies incorporate EPA’s water quality criteria or other state-approved site-specific criteria into legally enforceable water quality standards.
Water Quality Standards are the foundation of the water quality-based pollution control program mandated by the Clean Water Act. Water Quality Standards define the goals for a water body by designating its uses, setting criteria to protect those uses, and establishing provisions such as anti degradation policies to protect water bodies from pollutants.
FACT SHEETS PROVIDED COURTESY OF THE NM DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
For additional information, please visit the New Mexico Department of Health Environmental Health Epidemiology Bureau.
