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PCB Contamination In Rio Grande

By KRWG News

New Mexico – The New Mexico Environment Department has concluded pollution in the Rio Grande coming from Los Alamos National Laboratory remains below standards for drinking water.

The department says concentrations fell below the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's standard for PCBs in drinking water and are not a threat to Albuquerque's drinking water supply.

The results released this week come from a 2009 study on water quality in the river near Santa Fe's Buckman diversion project and during storm flows in Albuquerque.

The study found, however, storm runoff in the Albuquerque area potentially could carry concentrations of PCBs into the Rio Grande, which could hurt wildlife and people eating PCB-contaminated fish.

Regular testing of Albuquerque's water supply has not found PCBs, which have been linked to cancer.

PCBs were banned in 1979.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.