New Mexico Water Quality Assessment Report

Assessed Waters of New Mexico by Watershed

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Features

Site-specific Targeted Monitoring Summary Results

New Mexico (2008)

	Rivers and Streams (Miles)	Lakes, Reservoirs, and Ponds (Acres)
	Size of Water
Good Waters	2,721.4	8,710.5
Previously impaired waters now attaining all uses	127.2
Threatened Waters
TMDL completed
TMDL alternative
Non-pollutant impairment
TMDL needed
Impaired Waters	3,531.0	54,073.6
TMDL completed	758.1
TMDL alternative
Non-pollutant impairment	184.3
TMDL needed	2,588.6	54,073.6
New TMDLs completed	794.8	.0
Remaining TMDLs needed	1,793.8	54,073.6

Total Assessed Waters	6,252.4	62,784.1
Total Waters	110,741.0	997,467.0
Percent of Waters Assessed	5.6	6.3

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Summary of Water Quality Assessments for Each Waterbody Type
for Reporting Year 2008

Site-specific Targeted Monitoring Results

New Mexico Rivers and Streams 2008

Description of this table

Assessed Status	Miles

Assessed	6,252.4
Unassessed	104,488.6
Total Miles	110,741.0

Description of this table

Attainment Status	Miles

Good	2,721.4
Threatened	.0
Impaired	3,531.0
Total Miles Assessed	6,252.4

Description of this table

TMDL Development Status	Miles

All TMDLs completed	1,552.9
TMDL alternative	.0
Non-pollutant impairment	184.3
TMDL needed	1,793.8
Total Threatened and Impaired	3,531.0

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Site-specific Targeted Monitoring Results

Individual Designated Use Support
New Mexico Rivers and Streams 2008

* Waters assessed for more than one designated use are included in multiple designated use groups below.

Description of this table

Designated Use	Miles Assessed	Percent Good	Percent Threatened	Percent Impaired	% Good
					% Threatened
					% Impaired
Coldwater Fishery	767.5	39.4	.0	60.6
Domestic Water Supply	2,250.8	96.6	.0	3.4
Fish Consumption	50.1	13.7	.0	86.3
Fish Culture	1,844.7	100.0	.0	.0
High Quality Coldwater Aquatic Life	2,255.5	33.3	.0	66.7
Industrial Water Supply	1,025.8	100.0	.0	.0
Irrigation	5,630.5	98.6	.0	1.4
Irrigation Storage	12.3	100.0	.0	.0
Limited Warmwater Fishery	1,565.9	64.1	.0	35.9
Livestock Watering	4,485.7	98.6	.0	1.4
Marginal Coldwater Fishery	981.7	52.0	.0	48.0
Municipal Water Supply	839.5	100.0	.0	.0
Primary Contact	97.3	90.8	.0	9.2
Secondary Contact	2,605.3	73.3	.0	26.7
Secondary Recreation	98.7	65.0	.0	35.0
Warmwater Fishery	1,271.5	69.8	.0	30.2
Wildlife Habitat	5,969.2	98.5	.0	1.5

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Site-specific Targeted Monitoring Results

Causes of Impairment
New Mexico Rivers and Streams 2008

Description of this table

Cause of Impairment	Cause of Impairment Group	Miles Threatened or Impaired
Temperature, Water	Temperature	1,150.9
Sedimentation/Siltation	Sediment	665.2
Nutrient/Eutrophication Biological Indicators	Nutrients	635.4
Escherichia Coli (E. Coli)	Pathogens	607.2
Turbidity	Turbidity	576.9
Aluminum	Metals (other than Mercury)	523.0
Dissolved Oxygen	Organic Enrichment/Oxygen Depletion	413.1
Specific Conductivity	Salinity/Total Dissolved Solids/Chlorides/Sulfates	353.0
Benthic Macroinvertebrates Bioassessments	Cause Unknown - Impaired Biota	206.9
Low Flow Alterations	Flow Alteration(s)	194.4
Fecal Coliform	Pathogens	97.5
pH	pH/Acidity/Caustic Conditions	85.1
Arsenic	Metals (other than Mercury)	79.4
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)	Salinity/Total Dissolved Solids/Chlorides/Sulfates	77.7
Mercury in Fish Tissue	Mercury	73.2
Selenium	Metals (other than Mercury)	70.1
Gross Alpha	Radiation	70.0
Boron	Toxic Inorganics	66.2
Sulfates	Salinity/Total Dissolved Solids/Chlorides/Sulfates	56.0
Ammonia, Un-ionized	Ammonia	52.7
Radium 228	Radiation	38.4
Radium 226	Radiation	38.4
PCB in Water Column	Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)	36.4
PCB(s) in Fish Tissue	Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)	32.8
Mercury	Mercury	22.2
Nitrogen, Nitrate	Nutrients	14.4
Zinc	Metals (other than Mercury)	13.8
Cadmium	Metals (other than Mercury)	13.8
Ambient Bioassays -- Acute Aquatic Toxicity	Total Toxics	11.7
DDT	Pesticides	9.0
Copper	Metals (other than Mercury)	8.6
Vanadium (Fume or Dust)	Metals (other than Mercury)	8.6
Lead	Metals (other than Mercury)	3.6

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Site-specific Targeted Monitoring Results

Probable Sources
New Mexico Rivers and Streams 2008

Description of this table

Probable Source	Probable Source Group	Miles Threatened or Impaired
Rangeland Grazing	Agriculture	2,275.4
Natural Sources	Natural/Wildlife	1,222.3
Loss Of Riparian Habitat	Habitat Alterations (Not Directly Related To Hydromodification)	1,121.4
Streambank Modifications/Destabilization	Hydromodification	895.0
Flow Alterations From Water Diversions	Hydromodification	735.8
Municipal Point Source Discharges	Municipal Discharges/Sewage	663.7
On-Site Treatment Systems (Septic Systems And Similar Decentralized Systems)	Municipal Discharges/Sewage	624.6
Highway/Road/Bridge Runoff (Non-Construction Related)	Urban-Related Runoff/Stormwater	575.5
Source Unknown	Unknown	533.0
Other Recreational Pollution Sources	Recreation And Tourism (Non-Boating)	495.3
Drought-Related Impacts	Natural/Wildlife	441.1
Wildlife Other Than Waterfowl	Natural/Wildlife	301.2
Impervious Surface/Parking Lot Runoff	Urban-Related Runoff/Stormwater	289.6
Waterfowl	Natural/Wildlife	288.7
Silviculture, Fire Suppression	Silviculture (Forestry)	273.1
Wastes From Pets	Urban-Related Runoff/Stormwater	269.1
Municipal (Urbanized High Density Area)	Urban-Related Runoff/Stormwater	257.4
Irrigated Crop Production	Agriculture	235.0
Habitat Modification - Other Than Hydromodification	Habitat Alterations (Not Directly Related To Hydromodification)	194.3
Watershed Runoff Following Forest Fire	Silviculture (Forestry)	190.5
Off-Road Vehicles	Recreation And Tourism (Non-Boating)	149.5
Animal Feeding Operations (Nps)	Agriculture	127.8
Site Clearance (Land Development Or Redevelopment)	Construction	120.3
Inappropriate Waste Disposal	Spills/Dumping	113.3
Channelization	Hydromodification	106.4
Atmospheric Deposition - Toxics	Atmospheric Deposition	104.4
Silviculture Harvesting	Silviculture (Forestry)	100.0
Permitted Runoff From Confined Animal Feeding Operations (Cafos)	Agriculture	96.1
Forest Roads (Road Construction And Use)	Silviculture (Forestry)	95.6
Livestock (Grazing Or Feeding Operations)	Agriculture	91.7
Post-Development Erosion And Sedimentation	Hydromodification	68.7
Surface Mining	Resource Extraction	68.1
Contaminated Sediments	Legacy/Historical Pollutants	62.1
Mill Tailings	Industrial	55.7
Impacts From Abandoned Mine Lands (Inactive)	Resource Extraction	54.9
Baseflow Depletion From Groundwater Withdrawals	Hydromodification	53.0
Crop Production (Crop Land Or Dry Land)	Agriculture	47.6
Low Water Crossing	Other	36.5
Mine Tailings	Resource Extraction	34.5
Dam Or Impoundment	Hydromodification	32.4
Aquaculture (Permitted)	Aquaculture	30.8
Agriculture	Agriculture	30.6
Dredging (E.G., For Navigation Channels)	Hydromodification	25.5
Industrial/Commercial Site Stormwater Discharge (Permitted)	Urban-Related Runoff/Stormwater	25.1
Upstream Impoundments (E.G., Pl-566 Nrcs Structures)	Hydromodification	23.2
Petroleum/Natural Gas Production Activities (Permitted)	Industrial	21.4
Petroleum/Natural Gas Activities	Resource Extraction	21.4
Reclamation Of Inactive Mining	Resource Extraction	16.2
Urban Runoff/Storm Sewers	Urban-Related Runoff/Stormwater	14.2
Highways, Roads, Bridges, Infrastructure (New Construction)	Construction	12.7
Industrial Point Source Discharge	Industrial	9.4
Rcra Hazardous Waste Sites	Industrial	9.2
Other Spill Related Impacts	Spills/Dumping	9.0
Acid Mine Drainage	Resource Extraction	8.3
Dam Construction (Other Than Upstream Flood Control Projects)	Hydromodification	8.1
Placer Mining	Resource Extraction	2.8
Landfills	Land Application/Waste Sites/Tanks	2.2

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Site-specific Targeted Monitoring Results

New Mexico Lakes, Reservoirs, and Ponds 2008

Description of this table

Assessed Status	Acres

Assessed	62,784.1
Unassessed	934,682.9
Total Acres	997,467.0

Description of this table

Attainment Status	Acres

Good	8,710.5
Threatened	.0
Impaired	54,073.6
Total Acres Assessed	62,784.1

Description of this table

TMDL Development Status	Acres

All TMDLs completed	.0
TMDL alternative	.0
Non-pollutant impairment	.0
TMDL needed	54,073.6
Total Threatened and Impaired	54,073.6

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Site-specific Targeted Monitoring Results

Individual Designated Use Support
New Mexico Lakes, Reservoirs, and Ponds 2008

* Waters assessed for more than one designated use are included in multiple designated use groups below.

Description of this table

Designated Use	Acres Assessed	Percent Good	Percent Threatened	Percent Impaired	% Good
					% Threatened
					% Impaired
Coldwater Fishery	25,276.8	4.6	.0	95.4
Domestic Water Supply	2,239.5	40.4	.0	59.6
Fish Culture	2,276.7	100.0	.0	.0
High Quality Coldwater Aquatic Life	1,653.2	16.5	.0	83.5
Industrial Water Storage	13,151.2	100.0	.0	.0
Industrial Water Supply	5,422.4	100.0	.0	.0
Irrigation	7,648.6	100.0	.0	.0
Irrigation Storage	41,803.6	100.0	.0	.0
Limited Warmwater Fishery	1,646.4	1.1	.0	98.9
Livestock Watering	55,292.7	100.0	.0	.0
Marginal Coldwater Fishery	803.9	74.0	.0	26.0
Municipal Water Storage	13,151.2	100.0	.0	.0
Municipal Water Supply	6,367.5	100.0	.0	.0
Primary Contact	47,106.0	100.0	.0	.0
Secondary Contact	6,040.0	100.0	.0	.0
Secondary Recreation	2,712.8	66.1	.0	33.9
Warmwater Fishery	44,172.2	5.4	.0	94.6
Wildlife Habitat	62,760.3	100.0	.0	.0

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Site-specific Targeted Monitoring Results

Causes of Impairment
New Mexico Lakes, Reservoirs, and Ponds 2008

Description of this table

Cause of Impairment	Cause of Impairment Group	Acres Threatened or Impaired
Mercury in Fish Tissue	Mercury	52,654.2
Nutrient/Eutrophication Biological Indicators	Nutrients	4,412.9
Aluminum	Metals (other than Mercury)	3,760.8
DDT	Pesticides	3,058.7
Arsenic	Metals (other than Mercury)	1,517.6
Dissolved Oxygen	Organic Enrichment/Oxygen Depletion	1,392.4
PCB(s) in Fish Tissue	Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)	1,038.4
Temperature, Water	Temperature	185.9
pH	pH/Acidity/Caustic Conditions	129.3
Copper	Metals (other than Mercury)	11.2
Sedimentation/Siltation	Sediment	6.0

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Site-specific Targeted Monitoring Results

Probable Sources
New Mexico Lakes, Reservoirs, and Ponds 2008

Description of this table

Probable Source	Probable Source Group	Acres Threatened or Impaired
Source Unknown	Unknown	53,876.3
Atmospheric Deposition - Toxics	Atmospheric Deposition	51,756.9
Natural Sources	Natural/Wildlife	6,197.5
Rangeland Grazing	Agriculture	5,656.5
Loss Of Riparian Habitat	Habitat Alterations (Not Directly Related To Hydromodification)	4,267.5
Streambank Modifications/Destabilization	Hydromodification	4,251.2
Impervious Surface/Parking Lot Runoff	Urban-Related Runoff/Stormwater	3,840.1
On-Site Treatment Systems (Septic Systems And Similar Decentralized Systems)	Municipal Discharges/Sewage	1,357.6
Subsurface (Hardrock) Mining	Resource Extraction	1,333.8
Wildlife Other Than Waterfowl	Natural/Wildlife	1,333.8
Contaminated Sediments	Legacy/Historical Pollutants	1,038.4
Inappropriate Waste Disposal	Spills/Dumping	1,038.4
Other Recreational Pollution Sources	Recreation And Tourism (Non-Boating)	140.5
Agriculture	Agriculture	68.4
Silviculture Harvesting	Silviculture (Forestry)	50.0
Habitat Modification - Other Than Hydromodification	Habitat Alterations (Not Directly Related To Hydromodification)	39.9
Highway/Road/Bridge Runoff (Non-Construction Related)	Urban-Related Runoff/Stormwater	23.8
Pesticide Application	Land Application/Waste Sites/Tanks	11.2

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New Mexico Causes of Impairment for Reporting Year 2008

Description of this table

Cause of Impairment Group	Size of Assessed Waters with Listed Causes of Impairment
NOTE: Click on the underlined Cause of Impairment Group to see a list of specific state causes of impairment making up the Cause of Impairment Group. See also Pollution categories summary document (PDF) (20 pp, 557K, About PDF) for brief, non-technical descriptions of general cause categories.
Cause of Impairment Group	Rivers and Streams (Miles)	Lakes, Reservoirs, and Ponds (Acres)
Ammonia	52.7
Cause Unknown - Impaired Biota	206.9
Flow Alteration(s)	194.4
Mercury	95.4	52,654.2
Metals (other than Mercury)	591.6	5,289.5
Nutrients	649.8	4,412.9
Organic Enrichment/Oxygen Depletion	413.1	1,392.4
Pathogens	704.7
Pesticides	9.0	3,058.7
pH/Acidity/Caustic Conditions	85.1	129.3
Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)	69.2	1,038.4
Radiation	79.0
Salinity/Total Dissolved Solids/Chlorides/Sulfates	430.6
Sediment	665.2	6.0
Temperature	1,150.9	185.9
Total Toxics	11.7
Toxic Inorganics	66.2
Turbidity	576.9

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New Mexico Probable Sources Contributing to Impairments
for Reporting Year 2008

Description of this table

Probable Source Group	Size of Assessed Waters with Probable Sources of Impairments
NOTE: Click on the underlined Probable Source Group to see a list of specific state Probable Sources making up the Probable Source Group.
Probable Source Group	Rivers and Streams (Miles)	Lakes, Reservoirs, and Ponds (Acres)
Agriculture	2,391.3	5,724.9
Aquaculture	30.8
Atmospheric Deposition	104.4	51,756.9
Construction	133.0
Habitat Alterations (Not Directly Related To Hydromodification)	1,179.7	4,283.6
Hydromodification	1,674.6	4,251.2
Industrial	95.8
Land Application/Waste Sites/Tanks	2.2	11.2
Legacy/Historical Pollutants	62.1	1,038.4
Municipal Discharges/Sewage	944.6	1,357.6
Natural/Wildlife	1,772.6	6,197.5
Other	36.5
Recreation And Tourism (Non-Boating)	589.7	140.5
Resource Extraction	168.6	1,333.8
Silviculture (Forestry)	624.4	50.0
Spills/Dumping	113.3	1,038.4
Unknown	533.0	53,876.3
Urban-Related Runoff/Stormwater	982.2	3,863.9

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New Mexico TMDL Alternatives by Cause of Impairment 2008

No TMDL Alternatives reported.

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New Mexico Previously 303(d)-Listed Waters Now Attaining All Applicable Water Quality Standards

Description of this table

Year Attaining	Number of Waters Attaining	Number of Causes of Impairment Addressed
NOTE: Click on the underlined "Number of Waters Attaining" value for a detailed list of those previously 303(d)-listed waters now attaining all applicable water quality standards.
2009	2	3
2010	10	10

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New Mexico Causes of Impairment for 303(d) Listed Waters

Description of this table

Cause of Impairment Group Name	Number of Causes of Impairment Reported
NOTE: Click on a cause of impairment (e.g. pathogens) to see the specific state-reported causes that are grouped to make up this category. Click on the "Number of Causes of Impairment Reported" to see a list of waters with that cause of impairment.
Metals (other than Mercury)	71
Temperature	46
Nutrients	37
Pathogens	28
Mercury	28
Sediment	24
Radiation	24
Cause Unknown - Impaired Biota	18
Turbidity	15
Organic Enrichment/Oxygen Depletion	14
Salinity/Total Dissolved Solids/Chlorides/Sulfates	12
pH/Acidity/Caustic Conditions	9
Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)	8
Toxic Inorganics	5
Pesticides	2
Ammonia	2
Total Toxics	1

Total: 344 Causes of Impairment

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New Mexico Cumulative TMDLs by Pollutant

This chart includes TMDLs since October 1, 1995.

Description of this table

Pollutant	Number of TMDLs	Number of Causes of Impairment Addressed
NOTE: Click on the underlined "Pollutant" value to see associated listed waters for which a TMDL was developed. Click on the underlined "Number of TMDLs" value to see a listing of those TMDLs for the pollutant.
Temperature	64	64
Turbidity	38	38
Escherichia Coli (E. Coli)	37	37
Phosphorus, Total	31	31
Nitrogen, Total	28	28
Fecal Coliform	21	21
Aluminum	20	20
Stream Bottom Deposits	17	17
Arsenic	9	9
Sedimentation/Siltation	8	8
Conductivity	5	5
Specific Conductivity	5	5
Boron	4	4
Nutrients - Algae	4	4
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)	4	4
Dissolved Oxygen	3	3
Phosphorus	2	2
Selenium	2	2
pH	2	2
Ammonia	1	1
Chlorine	1	1
Sulfate	1	1
Total Ammonia	1	1
Total Organic Carbon (TOC)	1	1
Total Residual Chlorine	1	1
Total Suspended Solids (TSS)	1	1

Total: 311 TMDLs; 311 Causes of Impairment Addressed

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New Mexico Cumulative Number of TMDLs

EPA Fiscal Year starts October 1 and ends September 30.

Description of this table

Fiscal Year	Number of TMDLs	Number of Causes of Impairment Addressed
NOTE: Click on the underlined "Number of TMDLs Completed" value for a detailed list of the TMDLs for the fiscal year.
1999	13	13
2000	26	26
2001	10	10
2002	19	19
2003	16	16
2004	28	28
2005	35	35
2006	15	15
2007	33	33
2009	29	29
2010	39	39
2011	19	19
2012	29	29

Total: 311 TMDLs; 311 Causes of Impairment Addressed

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TMDL Document Search

Full Text Search of TMDL Documents

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