NMED News:
The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED or Department) invites the public to comment on NMED’s proposed water reuse regulations, Ground and Surface Water Protection – Supplemental Requirements for Water Reuse (20.6.8 NMAC).
NMED will consider comments submitted to the Department through this public comment period to further develop the proposed regulations prior to petitioning for a public rulemaking hearing.
As delegated by the Water Quality Control Commission (WQCC), the Department has begun the preliminary stages of drafting the State’s Ground and Surface Water Protection – Supplemental Requirements for Water Reuse (20.6.8 NMAC), including the restricted reuse of treated produced water (water derived from oil and gas activities) for purposes outside of and unrelated to the oil and gas industry. NMED will post subsequent updates during this process to the Department’s website at https://www.env.nm.gov/water-reuse/.
The 30-day public comment period for the proposed regulations (“Public Comment Draft”) begins Nov. 1, 2023, and closes at 5 p.m. MST, Dec. 1, 2023.
Individuals seeking to submit comments or to request more information on the proposed regulations, may do so by filing electronically via the Department’s public comment portal; by email to pw.environment@env.nm.gov; or in paper format by mailing comments to NMED-GWQB, Attn: Water Reuse Regulation, P.O. Box 5469, Santa Fe, NM, 87502. When responding by email please enter “Water Reuse Regulation” in the subject line and include your name, title (as applicable), affiliation (as applicable), email, phone number, mailing address, and relevant comments to the proposed regulations in the body of the email.
Persons having a disability or requiring assistance or auxiliary aid to participate in this public process should contact the NMED Human Resources Bureau at least 10 days before any scheduled meeting, by mail at P.O. Box 5469, 1190 St. Francis Drive, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 87502, telephone 505.827.9769.
TDD or TDY users please access HRB via the New Mexico Relay Network at 1.800.659.8331.
NMED does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, age or sex in the administration of its programs or activities, as required by applicable laws and regulations. NMED is responsible for coordination of compliance efforts and receipt of inquiries concerning non-discrimination requirements implemented by 40 C.F.R. Parts 5 and 7, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, and Section 13 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972.
If you have any questions about this notice or any of NMED’s non-discrimination programs, policies or procedures, you may contact: Kate Cardenas, Non-Discrimination Coordinator, NMED, 1190 St. Francis Dr., Suite N4050, P.O. Box 5469, Santa Fe, NM 87502 or 505.827.2855 or nd.coordinator@env.nm.gov. If you believe that you have been discriminated against with respect to a NMED program or activity, you may contact NMED’s Non-Discrimination Coordinator identified above.
