An agreement has been made on new requirements to abate groundwater contamination on southern New Mexico dairies.
The New Mexico Environment Department, dairies and a coalition of Anthony and Mesquite residents recently agreed that the industry will monitor additional wells.
Under the agreement, dairies also will increase the frequency and duration of sampling and ensure a high level of accuracy when checking for background concentrations of pollutants in wells.
Tests will look for nitrate, chloride and dissolved solids.
The new requirements will be tacked onto an agreement reached earlier this year. A final report on all the agreements reached must be approved by NMED Secretary Ryan Flynn and is expected to be made public in April.
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Information from: Albuquerque Journal, http://www.abqjournal.com
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