N.M. Delegation Announces $18.9 Million In Infrastructure Law Funding To Address PFAS and Other Emerging Contaminants in Drinking Water

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representatives Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.), Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), and Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) announced $18,914,000 from the Infrastructure Law to address emerging contaminants, like Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in drinking water.

New Mexico will receive the federal funding through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities (EC-SDC) Grant Program. The Infrastructure Law, championed by New Mexico Democrats in 2021, invests $5 billion over five years to help communities that are on the frontlines of PFAS contamination reduce PFAS in drinking water. EPA announced the funds as part of an allotment of $2 billion to states and territories that can be used to prioritize infrastructure and source water treatment for pollutants, like PFAS and other emerging contaminants, and to conduct water quality testing.

“Water is life, and New Mexicans deserve access to safe, clean drinking water,” said Luján. “I’m proud to welcome over $18 million to address PFAS and other contaminants in our water. I’ve heard from communities like Clovis where PFAS has hurt local businesses and poses a public health risk. Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this investment will make a difference in the lives of New Mexicans and improve the public health of our communities.”

“Contamination and pollution from these forever chemicals threaten clean drinking water supplies that New Mexico communities depend upon. I am proud to welcome this funding that we secured through the Infrastructure Law to ramp up New Mexico’s urgent efforts to detect pollution and protect our precious water resources from PFAS and other emerging contaminants,” said Heinrich.

“Our communities have suffered from PFAS contamination, particularly in Clovis, New Mexico,” said Leger Fernández. “I, along with the New Mexico delegation, am working so dairy farmers in Clovis are fully compensated for dangerous levels of PFAS that affected their land, water, and livelihoods. I am grateful the State of New Mexico will receive funds to protect the environment, economies, and health of our beloved communities from dangerous forever chemicals.”

“Our farmers and communities across New Mexico have experienced the devastating impacts of PFAS contamination that has endangered the health and wellbeing of our families,” said Stansbury. “As we continue our work to detect, monitor, and treat harmful PFAS contamination, I’m proud that the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is already delivering $19 million to our state to safeguard our waters from chemical pollutants and protect the public health and livelihoods of our communities for generations to come.”

“New Mexican families should not be exposed to toxic chemicals like Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), which the New Mexico Environment Department, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Air Force have found present in surface and ground water throughout the state including at Holloman Air Force Base,” said Vasquez. “I am committed to conserving our beautiful state, and a key part of that is protecting our natural ecosystems from pollutants. That is why I am working in Congress to ensure that these much-needed funds are used to protect our communities’ sources of clean drinking water and to prevent further pollution.”

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