County-funded study finds PFAS in La Cienega wells; investigators identify data gaps and short-term steps

Santa Fe County-funded investigators told the Board of County Commissioners on Sept. 30 that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been detected in private wells in the La Cieneguilla and La Cienega communities and that the higher concentrations are concentrated in La Cieneguilla.

The findings were presented by Entera Incorporated staff, who said the work was supported by the New Mexico Environment Department and included about 90 samples from private wells, surface water and publicly collected effluent or monitoring results. "Each sample represents a snapshot in time," Karen Flores, a project manager and geologist with Entera, told the commission.

Why it matters: PFAS are long‑lasting chemicals associated with some health risks at elevated levels; the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued drinking‑water maximum contaminant levels for several PFAS compounds that the Entera team used to judge exceedances. The county and state officials said the work is an early step intended to guide mitigation and to identify likely sources.

What the study found - Total PFAS heat maps developed by Entera showed substantially higher total PFAS concentrations in the La Cieneguilla subdivision than in La Cienega. - Samples taken by Entera and provided by other…