LANL Responds to New Mexico Environment Department Administrative Compliance Orders – Requests Public Hearings

On Friday, March 13th, the Department of Energy (DOE) and Newport News Nuclear BWXT–Los Alamos, LLC, known as “N3B,” answered the February 11, 2026 Administrative Compliance Orders issued by the New Mexico Environment Department about the hexavalent chromium plume that has migrated across the boundary of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) onto Pueblo de San Ildefonso. When a new well was drilled on the Pueblo, the migration was discovered to reach the top of the deep drinking water aquifer approximately 1,000 feet below ground surface. The release has brought the plume to a new level of regulatory oversight by the Environment Department that now includes the New Mexico Water Quality Act and the New Mexico Hazardous Waste Act. DOE and N3B have requested the New Mexico Environment Department hold public hearings about the Orders.

2026-02-11 NMED WPCEB 26-01 Adm. Compliance Order-LANL Cr VI Plume Corrective Action and 2026-02-11 NMED HWB 26-03 Adm. Compliance Order-LANL Cr VI Plume DP-1835

Let’s recall that hexavalent chromium is the contaminant of concern in the Erin Brockovich film about the community of Hinkley, California when PG&E used chromium to keep its cooling towers from scaling. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erin_Brockovich

Similarly, hexavalent chromium was used in LANL’s cooling towers and has migrated through the volcanic tuff for miles towards the Rio Grande.

Hexavalent chromium is a heavy metal, is carcinogenic and causes cancer, among other illnesses. People in Hinkley got sick living with it. Hinkley is but one community dealing with dangerous hexavalent chromium contamination.

The plume in New Mexico is within the Española Basin Sole Source Aquifer, which was designated by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2008. The aquifer covers about 3,000 square miles in Northern New Mexico and is the sole source of water for over 135,000 people, their animals, fields and businesses. There is no replacement water. If the hexavalent chromium migrates further through the aquifer, more people will eventually be exposed.

LANL was removing hexavalent chromium from the aquifer under an Environment Department groundwater permit for the extraction, treatment and re-injection of the “cleaned” waters back into the aquifer. LANL claims that the treated water has been “polished” down to levels of three parts per billion, or 3 ppb, before re-injection. The current water quality standard is 50 ppb. Reinjection stopped in November when contamination was found off the LANL site in the new well drilled on the Pueblo, as noted above, raising concerns about contamination being driven deeper into the aquifer.

2026-02-11 NMED WPCEB 26-01 Adm. Compliance Order-LANL Cr VI Plume Corrective Action and 2026-02-11 NMED HWB 26-03 Adm. Compliance Order-LANL Cr VI Plume DP-1835

LANL has been drilling deep wells into the aquifer for decades. Some have worked; others have not. All to what end?

1. Friday, March 20^th from noon to 1 pm –Join the nuclear disarmament community at the intersection of East Alameda and Sandoval in Santa Fe for the weekly peaceful protest in support of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Join with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, New Mexico Peace Fest, Pax Christi and others. Bring your flags, signs and banners.

2. Monday, March 23 – Wednesday, March 25^th at New Mexico State Capitol in Santa Fe – New Mexico Environment Department, Air Quality Bureau, virtual public hearing before the Environmental Improvement Board to increase the permitting fees for oil & gas operations. The fees have not been increased in 20 years and 70% of the increased fees would go for accountability for industry for air pollution.  Case No. EIB 25-77 (R) – Repeal and Replacement of 20.2.71 NMAC, Operating Permit Emissions Fees, and 20.2.75 NMAC, Construction Permit Fees. For more information, go to https://www.env.nm.gov/public-notices/ and click on the tab for “Statewide/Across Multiple Counties” and scroll down to EIB 25-77 (R).

3. Tuesday, March 24^th from noon to 2 pm MST – hybrid WIPP Pre-Submittal Meeting of the U.S. Department of Energy, Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO) and contractors, Salado Isolation Mining Contractors (SIMCO) about four proposed changes to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) permit. For more information: https://wipp.energy.gov/wipp_news_20260311.asp

4. Thursday, March 26 at 10 am Mountain Time – Religions for Peace USA will host a free virtual screening of What I Want You to Know, the documentary film about post 9/11 veterans and their wars. The Q&A after the film will feature veteran Garett Reppenhagen, who served in Iraq as a scout sniper, and director Catie Foertsch. What can we do as individuals if we feel guilt or shame because our country is involved in yet another Middle East war? What can we do as congregations? Why aren’t we seeing mass protests when most Americans oppose this war?

5. Saturday, March 28^th at 11 am at NM State Capitol Roundhouse for NO KINGS! NO NUKES! The Clamshell Alliance is calling on all activists to carry NO KINGS! NO NUKES! signs in recognition of the March 28, 1979 nuclear power meltdown at Three Mile Island and to oppose nuclear power.  For more information see Karl Grossman and Harvey Wasserman’s article that explains how the resistance to the current push for nuclear power is connected to NO KINGS.  https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/02/27/on-march-28-lets-say-no-kings-and-no-nukes/

Let’s all carry signs to raise up this issue:

NO KINGS! NO NUKES!

Remember the 3/28/79 MELTDOWN at Three Mile Island!

DEMOCRACY, NO NUKES, SAFE ENERGY

NO NUKES! REMEMBER TMI MELTDOWN 3/28/79.

DEMOCRACY NEEDS CLEAN ENERGY. NO NUKES!

CLIMATE Sí! SAFE ENERGY Sí! NO NUKES!

6. Sunday, April 5^th to Saturday, April 11^th – Spring Action Week – Shut Down Drone Warfare at Holloman AFB, Alamogordo, Southern NM. Nonviolent Resistance to Military Drones & War.  For more information:  https://www.shutdowndronewarfare.org/,  Nmvetsforpeace@gmail.com

Tags: DOE, Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, hexavalent chromium, Hinkley, LANL, Los Alamos National Laboratory, N3B, New Mexico Environment Department, New Mexico Hazardous Waste Act, New Mexico Water Quality Act, Newport News Nuclear BWXT—Los Alamos LLC, NMED, Pajarito Plateau, PG&E, Pueblo de San Ildefonso, San Ildefonso Mortandad Regional-3, SIMR-3, U.S. Department of Energy