Las Cruces defends Lead and Copper Rule compliance amid scrutiny of $15m pipe replacement program

Las Cruces defends Lead and Copper Rule compliance amid scrutiny of $15m pipe replacement programUtility officials have pushed back against public allegations of data falsification, clarifying that upcoming revisions to Consumer Confidence Reports were mandated by the state to separate supply source data.

Residents criticized the slow rollout of a $15 million New Mexico Finance Authority grant for lead and galvanized pipe replacements.

The utility defended its Lead and Copper Rule compliance, noting a 90th percentile result of 0.009 mg/L, well below the 0.015 mg/L action level.

The New Mexico Environment Department required LCU to reissue the University Estates Consumer Confidence Report to separate municipal and local data tables.

Las Cruces Utilities (LCU) is facing mounting public pressure over its adherence to the federal Lead and Copper Rule and the pace of its lead service line replacement efforts. During an August 17 city council meeting, utility officials were forced to publicly defend their water quality sampling and reporting methodologies following severe criticism from residents. A focal point of the public backlash is a $15 million grant awarded by the New Mexico Finance Authority to fund the replacement of lead and galvanized water piping. Residents accused the utility of stalling inspections and failing to adhere to EPA guidance, which requires water systems to notify property owners within 30 days when galvanized piping is discovered. Commenters alleged that only 13 inspections occurred between April and July, and that the utility is failing to prioritize disadvantaged properties as required by the grant. Further controversy centered on LCU's Consumer Confidence Reports (CCR), with residents alleging the 2025 CCR for the University Estates Water System contained falsified lead data. Commenters claimed the report showed 2024 sampling with a high of 8 parts per billion (ppb), despite lab reports allegedly showing no sampling in 2024 and 2023 levels reaching up to 24 ppb—above the 15 ppb EPA action level. In response, Steve Perez, LCU's Deputy Director of Regulatory Compliance, provided a detailed breakdown of the utility's compliance status. Perez explained the regulatory requirement to calculate the 90th percentile of sample results to determine system-wide compliance. According to Perez, LCU's 90th percentile value was 0.009 milligrams per liter (mg/L), keeping the system below the 0.015 mg/L action level. While Perez acknowledged isolated outliers of 0.018 and 0.024 mg/L, he noted that those specific property owners receive targeted notices on how to reduce lead exposure from internal plumbing. Addressing the University Estates CCR, Perez clarified that the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) had indeed required a revision, but attributed this to a formatting mandate rather than falsified data. The original report had combined water quality data from both the University Estates system and the broader Las Cruces municipal system. NMED has since directed LCU to present separate water data tables for each supply source, which will be mailed to customers shortly. Perez also disclosed a separate monitoring and reporting violation from November involving lab paperwork errors for routine total coliform testing. The error made it appear that required samples were not collected, triggering a public notice. Perez confirmed that subsequent testing of the affected residence and supply wells all returned negative results, posing no threat to public health.