The Veterans Administration Medical Center in Albuquerque has implemented a water protection plan in response to a jet fuel spill at Kirtland Air Force Base.
State environment officials say the hospital's well is less than 1,000 feet from a plume of contaminated groundwater.
The plan announced Tuesday includes contingencies for supplying the hospital with safe water.
The hospital's chief of engineering says the facility is now connected to the system operated by the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority. If the well becomes contaminated, the hospital can switch to the utility's system.
Other options include drilling a new well or connecting to Kirtland's water system.
The spill was first discovered in 1999. State officials said in August they were stepping up efforts to treat groundwater contaminated by the jet fuel.
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