Residents of Santa Fe, New Mexico, are facing an unsettling discovery: their water supply has been found to contain troubling levels of plutonium.
This issue hits close to home, as Santa Fe is less than a 30-minute drive from the birthplace of the atomic bomb.
Contamination Found Close to Santa Fe
Recent scientific investigations have uncovered that soil samples from Los Alamos, just 24 miles from Santa Fe, show significant plutonium contamination.
With Santa Fe’s population nearing 90,000, the discovery has raised serious concerns.
Experts are now suggesting that a major rehabilitation project may be necessary to safeguard the city’s water supply.
Historical Pollution in Acid Canyon
The contaminated soil is located near Los Alamos in a place known as Acid Canyon.
This area, aptly named, was the site of radioactive waste disposal from 1943 to 1964. Jay Coghlan, Executive Director of Nuclear Watch, emphasized the urgency of the situation.
In a recent email to the Santa Fe New Mexican, he highlighted the need for permanent protection of groundwater and the Rio Grande while also creating high-paying cleanup jobs.
Evidence of Cleanup Necessity
Coghlan pointed out maps that reveal extensive contamination and argued that a comprehensive cleanup is essential.
Although the water in Santa Fe is currently safe to drink, the presence of plutonium is alarming for residents, especially considering that levels in the water supply have been recorded at up to 3 picocuries per liter—twice the guideline set by the New Mexico Administrative Code.
Ongoing Concerns and Historical Cleanup Efforts
The situation is compounded by historical pollution at Los Alamos National Laboratory, located just over a mile from town.
Contamination has been detected in nearby streams and rivers, with concerns that pollutants might migrate to underground aquifers and eventually affect the Rio Grande.
This river feeds into the Buckman Direct Diversion Project, which supplies nearly half of Santa Fe’s drinking water, making the issue particularly concerning.
The Population Boom and Its Implications
Santa Fe has experienced significant growth over the past four decades, with its population nearly doubling to around 90,000.
This rapid expansion, along with increased housing and income levels, has heightened the urgency of addressing the water contamination problem.
Incomplete Cleanup and Potential Risks
The contamination news comes nearly two decades after an agreement between the Department of Energy and the University of California to address the issue.
However, efforts to clean up the contamination have been slow and costly, with the New Mexico Environment Department estimating a need for over $800 million to fully remediate the sites.
While radiation levels are currently not high enough to pose immediate health risks on the Acid Canyon trail, the potential for a wildfire to release respirable plutonium into the air is a serious concern.
Expert Opinions and Future Risks
Dr. Michael Ketterer, Professor Emeritus of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Northern Arizona University, has echoed these concerns.
After analyzing plutonium samples, Ketterer expressed alarm at the contamination levels, comparing them to those seen at the site of the Chernobyl disaster.
He warned of broader environmental risks, including potential contamination of local flora and fauna and the impact of airborne ash from wildfires.
The Path Forward
As it stands, the cleanup of the Cold War-era contamination is only halfway done.
The Department of Energy plans to excavate all pits and shafts and inter radioactive waste at Carlsbad’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.
The situation remains critical, and the community is left waiting to see how effectively these plans will be implemented.