NMED Holds LANL Accountable for Hexavalent Chromium Plume

Today’s Update is continuation of our reporting on the diligent and thorough work done by the New Mexico Environment Department to hold Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) accountable for not responsibly addressing the hexavalent chromium plume beneath LANL that has now spread beneath Pueblo de San Ildefonso.

On Tuesday, February 11^th, the New Mexico Environment Department issued two Administrative Compliance Orders under the New Mexico Hazardous Waste Act and the New Mexico Water Quality Act to address the on-going migration of hexavalent chromium into the sole source regional drinking water aquifer that feeds the Rio Grande and those living downstream.  The Orders proposed civil penalties for multiple violations of both laws that total nearly $16,000,000.  https://www.env.nm.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/2026-02-11-COMMS-NMED-acts-to-hold-DOE-accountable-for-legacy-waste-Final.pdf

Both Orders provide detailed histories of what has led the Environment Department to issue civil penalties for contamination of groundwater, which was first discovered in 2004 in a newly drilled monitoring well in Sandia Canyon.

Since then LANL has not done everything in its power to properly investigate and protect against the groundwater contamination.  It has drilled wells at least 1,000 deep to reach the contaminated waters, extracted those waters, treated the waters on the surface, and returned them back into the deep aquifer. Due to the findings of contamination beneath Pueblo de San Ildefonso, in November 2025, the Environment Department ordered the cessation of these operations.  This is not the first time the Environment Department ceased operations.

Did you know that Los Alamos County residents and businesses, including the nuclear weapons complex, rely one hundred percent on the regional drinking water aquifer as their only source of water?  There are five deep regional drinking water wells they rely on.  Due to the migration of the hexavalent chromium plume towards one of its wells, Los Alamos County turned off its well in Sandia Canyon near the corner of State Road 4 and East Jemez Road.  It has not been returned to service.

The Orders and supporting documentation are available on the Environment Department’s website at Ground Water Quality Bureau Sites of Interest https://www.env.nm.gov/gwqb/gwqb-sites-of-interest/ , scroll down to Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Hexavalent Chromium Plume, and 2026 Administrative Compliance Orders under LANL Hexavalent Chromium Plume.  https://www.env.nm.gov/hazardous-waste/lanl/2026-administrative-compliance-orders/

LANL now has 30 days to provide answers to the Administrative Compliance Orders and to request a public hearing before the New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission.

CCNS is grateful for the strong administrative action the Environment Department has taken to protect water.  We are also grateful to the independent hydrogeologists we have worked with including Robert H. Gilkeson and George Rice to address the groundwater contamination at LANL.

1. Friday, February 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 2^nd – Public Comments due on Project Jupiter’s air quality permit applications. See New Mexico Environmental Law Center’s website for more information at https://nmelc.org/ It is anticipated that Project Jupiter’s power plants will create 14 million tons of emissions per year, more than the pollution created in ABQ, Santa Fe and Las Cruces combined.

Call to Action:

We Need Your Help!

Demand NMED Hold a Public Hearing

Send a Written Comment on Project Jupiter’s Microgrid Air Permits

by Monday, March 2nd!

See also:  https://nmelc.org/2026/02/02/letter-to-nmed-re-language-access-and-acoma-llc-west-and-east-microgrid-air-quality-permit-applications/

3. Submit by Sunday, March 1, 2026 – Youth Environmental Photo Contest NOW open for Submissions. Hosted by Tri-Valley Communities Against a Radioactive Environment (Tri-Valley CAREs), Livermore, CA.  Submit an original photo focused on environment issues for a chance to win up to $750 in cash prizes.  Entries should be accompanied by a caption or short passage (up to 500 words).  All styles welcome.  Contestants must be 10 to 25 years old.  https://trivalleycares.org/2026/tri-valley-cares-2026-youth-environmental-photo-contest

Tags: Administrative Compliance Order, civil penalties, contamination, drinking water aquifer, George Rice, Groundwater Discharge Permit DP-1835, hexavalent chromium, LANL, Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico Environment Department, New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission, NMED, NMED Administrative Compliance Order No. 26-01, NMED Administrative Compliance Order No. 26-03, Pueblo de San Ildefonso, Robert H. Gilkeson, Sandia Canyon, WQCC, “magic line, ” New Mexico Office of the State Engineer