NMED Secretary James Kenney. Courtesy photo
NMED News:
CLOVIS — The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) has selected EPCOR to connect approximately 100 private well owners in rural Curry County to clean drinking water, protecting families exposed to toxic PFAS contamination from nearby Cannon Air Force Base.
The $12 million project, funded through a 2025 legislative appropriation, will extend EPCOR’s existing water system east of the base, where a four-mile contamination plume extends from use of PFAS-laden firefighting foams.
“Connecting to EPCOR’s water lines is the best way for Curry County residents to receive drinking water that meets or exceeds all state and federal standards,” NMED Secretary James Kenney said. “The Governor and the Legislature stepped up to the threat of toxic PFAS, assuring impacted residents remain protected from health effects like certain types of cancers, lower vaccine efficacy, and reproductive issues.”
NMED’s PFAS blood testing initiative in the area found that 99.7% of the 628 participants had PFOS — the form of PFAS widely used in military and airport firefighting foam — in their blood.
The data collected suggests a correlation between Cannon Air Force Base’s PFAS groundwater contamination migrating off base in Curry County. Residents living within the four-mile plume area showed dramatically higher concentrations, with 26% reaching the highest concentration tier used in national guidelines — more than 10 times the rate observed in the broader testing group.
“PFAS contamination has impacted the health and wellbeing of our families near Cannon Air Force Base and finding real solutions is critical,” said Minority Whip Pat Woods, Sen. Pat Boone, Rep. Martin Zamora, and Rep. Andrea Reeb in a joint statement. “We fought to secure $12 million in funding this year to deliver safe water to those community members most affected. We’re excited to see that NMED has collaborated with EPCOR to begin installing clean water lines for these families.”
Private well owners in Curry County can request connection to EPCOR’s system by contacting their Clovis office at mywater@epcor.com. Conceptual plans are to extend the existing system to connect approximately 100 residences east of Cannon Air Force Base. All connections are voluntary.