The New Mexico Environment Department and the Camino Real Regional Utility Authority signed a settlement that saw CRRUA being fined nearly $200,000, but concerns around water and the price of the rates still remain.
Two years after CRRUA made headlines for providing unsafe water to their customers without notification, a settlement has been reached that sees the utility authority paying $189,000 in fines.
The fine is made up of a $168,000 penalty and a $21,000 “bad faith enhancement figure.”
Daisy Maldonado, a southern New Mexico organizer, said that she wishes the New Mexico Environment Department did more than just a lawsuit to hold CRRUA accountable.
“It’s just really disappointing that they took that step last year to only come to a settlement that requires CRRUA to pay a fine and it's just business as usual. It feels like lip service from NMED saying that ‘we are going to be a regulator’ when they really have not stepped into that role,” Maldonado said.
In addition to this, Maldonado said that the possibility of a water rate increase to cover the fine is a real concern.
“Now that there is this fine that CRRUA has to pay, they don't necessarily have reserves in their coffers to pay for it so that cost is just going to be moved onto the customer,” Maldonado said.
However, many are hopeful that CRRUA’s issues may be over.
Deputy Cabinet Secretary for NMED Drew Rhoderick said this settlement is for the short term but better long term solutions focused on the management are also in the works this time.
“Our long term goal is to keep the pressure on them to do what needs to be done to ensure that the management structure changes and the accountability changes so that they don't fall back into this habitual offender role. That is just not acceptable. Kudos to CRRUA for meeting the minimum requirements for the regulations, that's where they are at right now, but we want to see them go above and beyond that,” CRRUA Rhoderick said.
Customers that receive services from CRRUA have seen increases to their rates, most recently a 40% jump at the beginning of 2026. In response to concerns that CRRUA might raise rates to cover the fines, Rhoderick said that NMED does not have power to set rates but hopes that doesn't happen.
“I will say that we have strongly recommended and continue to recommend to CRRUA that they not pass this on to their rate payers. This is not the rate payers fault,” Rhoderick said.
Last May, The Doña Ana County Commission voted to pull out of the joint powers agreement between the county and the City of Sunland Park that formed CRRUA. Negotiations on what the future of the service will look like are still ongoing.
KRWG has reached out to CRRUA for comment but did not receive a response in time. The story will be updated when a response is given.
