Customers Are Urged To Boil Water Prior To Drinking

(Santa Fe, N.M.) –Due to the heavy rainfall in Eddy County, the New Mexico Environment Department's (NMED) Drinking Water Bureau has issued a "Precautionary Boil Water Advisory"for water systems located near the Pecos River in Eddy County. Extensive flooding has occurred and numerous public water systems in the area have been affected in various ways by the flooding. There is a concern that unanticipated infrastructure failure in these conditions could result in potential contamination events in the affected areas.

NMED issued the precautionary advisory on September 22, 2014 and is working with the affected systems to ensure protection of public health. If customers of water systems in this area notice a color change or significant change in water pressure they are advised to seek an alternate source of drinking water, such as bottled water, or boil the water for five minutes before drinking, cooking, and dishwashing. This is a precautionary advisory only: no contamination has been detected in the drinking water systems at this time. Customers of water systems in the area are encouraged to contact their individual water systems for updates on the status of their water systems.

The NMED Drinking Water Bureau will continue to monitor the situation as well as providetechnical assistance to the water systems in the affected area.

For more information, call NMED Communications Director Jim Winchester at (505) 231-8800 or Brandi Garcia, Drinking Water Bureau Compliance Officer, at (575) 973-0731.