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Toxic PFAS Chemicals in New Mexico Waters

A body of water flanked by greenery and rocky hills in the background.

January 22, 2021 – In cooperation with the New Mexico Environment Department, the U.S. Geological Survey tested groundwater and surface water in 16 counties to find where PFAS are present and which specific types of those toxic substances have found their way into the state’s waters. The tests did not reveal alarmingly high levels of…

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All We’ve Surveyed: Five Years After the Gold King Mine Spill

A gold-tinted river flows.

By Laura Paskus Five years ago, crews reopening an abandoned mine in the mountains of southern Colorado breached a containment wall, spewing three million gallons of mining waste into a tributary of the Animas River. Given the mine’s alpine location—which averages 15 feet of snow each year—fieldwork is limited and conditions can change drastically between…

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