Another Group picks up the pace.

Agua es Vida Action Team: Safeguarding Albuquerque’s Drinking Water

The Agua es Vida Action Team (AVAT) is a group of Albuquerque citizens who are deeply troubled about the San Juan Chama Diversion Project. They are especially concerned about the potential contaminants that will be in our tap water from the Rio Grande. AVAT does not believe that the city’s plan to deal with the contaminants is adequate or comprehensive enough to assure that the water will be safe, especially for fetuses, children, elders and people with any kind of immune system deficiency.



Some specific concerns about the drinking water project include: *radiological contaminants from upriver sources, *Bromate, other disinfection byproducts, *industrial chemicals, *pharmaceuticals, *herbicides, pesticides, and *Perchlorate.

The list of concerns chart that was published in the June 2007 Coop Connection news (and is available from AVAT or online at www.lamontanita.coop) outlines disinfection issues, pollutants of concern, health concerns, questions and recommendations.



AVAT strongly believes the precautionary principle must be used when it comes to our collective health and safety. In a letter on the issue, Governor Richardson states that the existing gross alpha MCL (maximum contamination level) is no longer protective and should be set at a more stringent level of 0.15 for the alpha emitting long-lived transuranic radionuclides like Plutonium 239. The MCL for Plutonium and alpha emitters is currently 100 times too lax. This is based ..d EPA research and The Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (IEER). Interested readers can go to the ieer.org website and read and download two excellent & relevant reports called “Bad to the Bone” and “Healthy from the Start” for more information.

The differentiation of the radiologicals is also of extreme importance. The City of Albuquerque water standards must exceed the EPA national standards and the Safe Drinking Water Act standards because of emerging contaminants. Those standards were set many years ago, are outdated & inadequate, and to protect public health, in light of the San Juan Diversion Project, must be updated and modernized to more realistically address current conditions. Colorado has changed their standards for radionuclides & adopted 0.15 for Plutonium. Here in New Mexico we need to do the same.



In summary the AVAT would like to change the combined MCL for alpha-emitting, long-lived transuranic radionuclides, including Plutonium 239 from 15 to 0.15, and differentiate between the alpha emitters.



Amigos Bravos has submitted comments to the NMED / Surface Water Quality Bureau regarding tritium, as part of the Triennial Review of surface water quality standards: "Specific Criteria for Tritium. New data suggests that the current standard of 20,000 pCi/L is not protective of human health and is especially dangerous to the placenta. The tritium standard for domestic water supply should be reduced to 400 pCi/L. Both Colorado and California have adopted this more protective standard."



AVAT has educational packets available that include: a list of concerns, a copy of the precautionary principle, Governor Richardson’s letter on the issue and several articles about radionuclides in drinking, ground and surface water. To obtain a packet or to get in touch with the AVAT, you can email us at: contactus@cardnm.org or call us at: 242-5511.