New Mexico ENVIRONMENT DEPARTMENT, SURFACE WATER QUALITY BUREAU PROPOSES TOTAL MAXIMUM DAILY LOADS (TMDLs) FOR THE UPPER RIO GRANDE WATERSHED

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 Upper Rio Grande watershed. The draft TMDL is available online at: https://www.env.nm.gov/surface-water-quality/tmdl/. Draft TMDLs in this document include:  

• Beaver Creek (Rio de los Pinos to headwaters) – Temperature
• Canada Tio Grande (Rio San Antonio to headwaters) – E.coli, temperature
• Embudo Creek (Rio Grande to Picuris Pueblo bnd) - Temperature
• Rio Fernando de Taos (Tienditas Creek to headwaters) – Temperature
• Rio Grande (Cochiti Reservoir to San Ildefonso bnd) – Aluminum, gross alpha, PCB, plant nutrients, temperature, turbidity
• Rio Hondo (South Fork Rio Hondo to Lake Fork Creek) – Plant nutrients
• Rio Nutritas (Rio San Antonio to headwaters) – E.coli, temperature
• Rio de los Pinos (New Mexico reaches) – Aluminum
• Rio San Antonio (CO border to Montoya Canyon) – Aluminum, temperature

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 August 14, 2026, and will close September 14, 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 Heidi Henderson, e-mail: heidi.henderson@env.nm.gov; or mailing address: NMED SWQB, P.O. Box 5469, Santa Fe, NM, 87502; voice: (505) 819-9986.

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 August 27, 2026, at 1:0 to 2:30 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 August 17.

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

• Mailed to all persons who submitted written comments by August 14, 2026, at 5:00 p.m.; and
• Available electronically on the bureau’s website or by contacting Heidi Henderson 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/. 

For more information, please contact Heidi Henderson via email or phone number provided above.