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Dona Ana Communities Concerned Dairy Waste Plan Does Not Go Far Enough To Protect Ground Water

Simon Thompson

According to New Mexico State University New Mexico dairies generate one hundred eighty million dollars in economic impact annually in Dona Ana County alone. But that might be coming at the expense of some communities scarce ground water resources.  

While a number of dairies in Dona Ana County will tasked with new ground water monitoring requirements- County residents are concerned they won’t go far enough to protect their drinking water. 

Dairy farm workers whistle, call and whoop as they rustle the next line up of cows through the stock yards and into the milking parlor at the Big Sky Dairy,  one of 13 operations on dairy row lining interstate 10.

Dairy owner Ed De Rutyer says the daily milking of close to 2000 cows is just one of the never ending farm chores in the 24/7 life of Big Sky Dairy in Mesquite.

"We got some people doing artificial insemination, then we do pregnancy checking. Others are doing the milking feeding the cows grain and then we also feeding of the calves” De Ruyter said. 

Between his 5 dairies De Rutyer employs about 250 workers, mostly from the surrounding communities.

Workers in the milk parlor sanitize the cows’ udders and prepare them to be pumped. As the milk makes its way into steel tanks. A mix of cow manure, sterilizing chemicals and spilled milk on the parlor floor is hosed off into the yards, where it can seep beneath the soil possibly contaminating the groundwater.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afNzqKL0qyg&feature=youtu.be

Engineer Kathy Martin says groundwater surrounding the dairies sometimes contains high levels of nitrites.

“The nitrates concentrations in 'Dairy Row' are between 50 and 100 parts per million. So we are talking five ti 10 times more than the level  where you still can’t drink it. So it is not good” Martin said. 

Arturo Uribe lives in neighboring Mesquite. Though he doesn’t work at a dairy some of his friends do and his sister is married to one of the dairy owners sons

“I’ve known him since I was like 14 years old, he has been with my sister  she was like 14 years old. So I have a niece and nephew" Uribe said. 

Uribe says the stench of manure and swarms of flies have been a major nuisance since the dairies moved in 40 years ago but with so many inter family relationships and work connections most residents have been reluctant to do much more than complain.

“You can only go to so many meetings and listen to a dairy owner say well that’s the smell of money you know” Uribe said. 

In 2012 Uribe filed a lawsuit against area dairies citing the public nuisance of the odor and the flies.  But it was groundwater contamination that convinced others to appeal to the New Mexico Environment Department for help.

“When it does become contaminated, who is ultimately going to be responsible for the clean up and you know. Will there be a recourse to have the dairies to do that?” Uribe said. 

At a recent environment department hearing in Anthony New Mexico the dairies agreed to a remediation plan that would require plastic lining for runoff pits and more groundwater monitoring.

Ed De Ruyter represents his fellow dairy owners as part of a consortium called Dona Ana Dairies.

“We just want to be able to have a realistic approach with agricultural people in mind" De Ruyter said.  "So that we can handle costs and handle the problem with pollution you know we are trying to be good stewards of the land.  We live right  there on the dairy we drink the water from the ground  and the cattle drink all the water. So we want to make sure the cows are healthy  and we are doing our best to alleviate the problem” De Ruyter said. 

New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission engineer Bart Faris says the contaminated water flowing beneath the dairies hasn’t gotten into the drinking water supply yet.  Even with the well monitoring he says there are still some unknowns.

“It is dark down there! You got to understand, to see the detail of each site how water is flowing, how does it  move, how does it react this chemical when it hits this certain  formation” Faris said. 

While the polluted groundwater is monitored and left to dilute naturally, it is business as usual back at dairy row.   Engineer Kathy Martin represents concerned residents who live near the dairies.  She says progress has been made but not enough has been implemented to stop future contamination.

"The point is, don’t let it get in to the ground water in the first place, have the best liner system you can keep your waster water up above ground maybe in tanks” Martin said. 

Ed De Ruyter says the dairies don’t want to invest in containment measures that aren’t a scientifically proven measure.

“These costs get to high you know you will not be able to continue doing business we will just have to do something else” De Ruyter said. 

Uribe agrees he says finding lower impact uses for the land along dairy row might be the only way to secure the drinking water supply for communities like Anthony, Mesquite, Vado and Berino.
 

"They should leave, to be very honest. You are looking at growing communities with schools, they are having major issues with the contamination of the nitrates you know. It is not a matter of is our aquifer going to be contaminated by nitrates  due to the dairies,  in my opinion it is when, Its not this week but when”
Uribe said. 

The agreement for water monitoring by the dairies will require annual reports to New Mexico Environment Department, which is tasked with reviewing the data to ensure the groundwater contamination is contained.

Simon Thompson was a reporter/producer for KRWG-TV's Newsmakers from 2014 to 2017. Encores of his work appear from time to time on KRWG-TV's Newsmakers and KRWG-FM's Fronteras-A Changing America.