NEW MEXICO ENVIRONMENT DEPARTMENT, SURFACE WATER QUALITY BUREAU PROPOSES TOTAL MAXIMUM DAILY LOADS (TMDLs) FOR THE SAN JUAN AND ANIMAS WATERSHEDS

NOTICE OF A 30-DAY PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD AND COMMUNITY MEETING

The New Mexico Environment Department’s (NMED) Surface Water Quality Bureau (SWQB) is inviting the public to comment on the draft “Total Maximum Daily Load” (TMDL) document for the San Juan and Animas watershed. The draft TMDL is available online at: https://www.env.nm.gov/surface-water-quality/tmdl/.

Draft TMDLs in this document include:

• Animas River (Estes Arroyo to So. Ute Indian Tribe bnd) – Nutrients, Temperature, Total Phosphorus, Total Recoverable Aluminum

• Animas River (San Juan River to Estes Arroyo) – Total recoverable aluminum

• Gallegos Canyon (San Juan River to Navajo bnd) – E. coli, Total Recoverable Selenium

• La Plata R (McDermott Arroyo to So. Ute Indian Tribe bnd) – E. coli, Nutrients

• Los Pinos River (Navajo Reservoir to CO border) – Temperature

• Navajo River (Jicarilla Apache Nation to CO border) – E. coli, Total phosphorus

• San Juan River (Animas River to Canon Largo) – E. coli, Total Recoverable Aluminum

• San Juan River (Navajo bnd at Hogback to Animas River) – E. coli, Sedimentation, Total Recoverable Aluminum

• San Juan River (NM reach upstream of Navajo Reservoir) – E. coli, Total recoverable aluminum

• Shumway Arroyo (San Juan River to Ute Mtn Ute bnd) – E. coli

• Stevens Arroyo (Perennial prts San Juan R to headwaters) – E. coli

A TMDL is a planning document that establishes specific goals to meet water quality standards in waterbodies where pollutant limits are exceeded. It includes current pollution loadings, reduction estimates for pollutants, information on probable sources of pollution, and suggestions to restore or protect the health of the waterbody.

The 30-day comment period on this document will open June 15, 2026, and will close July 15, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. MDT. Formal comments for inclusion in the public record must be submitted in writing via the NMED Public Comment Portal at: https://nmed.commentinput.com/comment/search or alternately in writing to Avery Simpson, e-mail: avery.simpson@env.nm.gov; or mailing address: NMED SWQB, P.O. Box 5469, Santa Fe, NM, 87502; voice: (505) 479-2739.

One public meeting will be held to summarize the information and to provide a forum for interested parties to ask questions and provide comments. The meetings will be held on June 30, 2026, at 1:30 to 3:00 pm via a virtual webinar. Specific meeting details will be made available in a meeting flyer posted to the SWQB website during the week of June 22.

Following the close of the comment period, copies of the Response to Comments will be:

• Mailed to all persons who submitted written comments by July 15, 2026, at 5:00 p.m.; and

• Available electronically on the bureau’s website or by contacting Avery Simpson via email or phone number provided above.

The SWQB plans to request approval of the draft final TMDLs at the Water Quality Control Commission’s (WQCC) next available meeting. WQCC agendas are available at: https://www.env.nm.gov/opf/water-quality-control-commission/.