Summary of New Mexico's Water Reuse Guideline or Regulation for Potable Water Reuse
This page is part of the EPA’s REUSExplorer tool, which summarizes the different state level regulations or guidelines for water reuse for a variety of sources and end-uses.
The source water for this summary is Treated Municipal Wastewater.
On this page:
- Technical basis
- Types of planned potable reuse approved for use in New Mexico
- Water reuse treatment category/type
- Potable reuse specifications
- Upcoming state law or policy
- References
- Disclaimer
This page is a summary of the state’s water reuse law or policy and is provided for informational purposes only. Please always refer to the state for the most accurate and updated information.
In New Mexico, potable water reuse The use of highly treated recycled water for drinking water purposes. This reuse application includes both indirect potable reuse through introduction of recycled water into an environmental buffer such as a surface reservoir or groundwater aquifer, and direct potable reuse through introduction of recycled water into a drinking water system. applications include indirect potable reuse (aquifer storage and recovery). The source of water treated municipal wastewater Treated wastewater effluent discharged from a centralized wastewater treatment plant of any size. Other terms referring to this source of water include domestic wastewater, treated wastewater effluent, reclaimed water, and treated sewage. is specified by the state as municipal wastewater. The write-up uses state terms when discussing sources or uses of water that may differ from the Regulations and End-Use Specifications Explorer's (REUSExplorer's) terms.
Technical basis
Potable water in the United States must meet all applicable Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) requirements, including its implementing regulations (40 C.F.R. § 141) for chemical and microbial contaminants. While New Mexico has no specific regulations for potable reuse, the state authorizes aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) projects (also referred to as underground storage and recovery, or USR, projects) under the 1999 Groundwater Storage and Recovery Act (N.M. Code R. § 72-5A). The NM Office of the State Engineer (OSE) governs the permit application process for ASR projects. The Groundwater Discharge Permits for ASR include water quality monitoring requirements and limits for water quality parameters as well as geochemical modeling to ensure aquifer protection (N.M. Code R. § 19.25.8). Additionally, the New Mexico Environmental Department Ground Water Quality Bureau (NMED GWQB) permits ASR projects on a case-by-case basis with the issuance of Groundwater Discharge Permits through New Mexico’s Underground Injection Control (UIC) regulations (N.M. Code R. § 20.6.2.5000). Site-specific water quality targets are specific to each permitted ASR project.
Types of planned potable reuse approved for use in New Mexico
N.M. Code R. § 19.25.8 defines the following approved planned potable uses:
- Indirect Potable Reuse
- Aquifer storage and recovery.
Water reuse treatment category/type
New Mexico does not assign reclaimed water used for aquifer storage and recovery to a category or class.
Potable reuse specifications
New Mexico requires that reclaimed water for aquifer storage and recovery meet the groundwater discharge permit requirements (N.M. Code R. § 19.25.8) and does not have additional specifications for indirect potable reuse.
Upcoming state law or policy
NMED has drafted both ASR/IPR and DPR Guidance but currently has no specific regulations for potable reuse. NMED has proposed supplemental requirements for water reuse (20.6.8 NMAC) including produced water and will accept public comment through December 1, 2023.
References:
National Primary Drinking Water Regulations, 40 C.F.R. § 141.
Underground Storage and Recovery, N.M. Code R. § 19.25.8.
Please contact us at waterreuse@epa.gov if the information on this page needs updating or if this state is updating or planning to update its laws and policies and we have not included that information on the news page.