Assessment of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Water Resources of New Mexico Active
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are widespread anthropogenic chemicals that have been in use for the past 70 years. This class of compounds comprises thousands of chemicals including perfluorosulfonates (PFSAs) such as perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs), and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). As the use of these chemicals has grown so has their ubiquity in the environment due to their highly persistent nature. PFOAs and PFOS have been investigated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and are considered harmful to human health and the environment. Point sources, such as firefighting training grounds, industrial facilities, and wastewater plant effluent have been found to contribute PFAS into the water cycle. There is evidence that exposure may lead to reproductive and developmental problems as well as liver, kidney, and immunological effects.
PFAS have been detected in public and private drinking water supplies, springs and surface waters in New Mexico. While there are known areas in New Mexico that are affected by PFAS, the presence and distribution of PFAS in water resources across the state of New Mexico are not well characterized.
The objective of this work is to determine the extent of PFAS, if present, in groundwater, surface water, and precipitation across New Mexico. Sampling of water resources for PFAS on this scale has never before been conducted in New Mexico and information gained from sampling is crucial for understanding the distribution throughout the state. The proposed work also includes comprehensive analytical suites in addition to PFAS to provide context for the geochemical evolution and possible sources of water. The program started in 2020 and is continuing. Data are available in the NWIS database.
PFAS Surface Water Sampling
Photograph of PFAS sampling at Rio Grande above Buckman Diversion near White Rock, NM, USGS - New Mexico Water Science Center
Passive and Active Sampling
Photograph of the passive Polar Organic Chemical Integrative Sampler (POCIS) (underwater) deployment (upper post) and active Continuous Low-Level Aquatic Monitoring (CLAM) sampler (lower post, left) and the active solid phase extraction bot sampler (lower post, right), USGS - New Mexico Water Science Center.
PFAS Groundwater Sampling
Photograph of groundwater sampling at a public water supply well in Albuquerque, NM, USGS - New Mexico Water Science Center.
PFAS Surface Water Sampling
Photograph of PFAS sampling at Animas near Farmington, NM, USGS - New Mexico Water Science Center.
Geochemical Suite Groundwater Sampling
Photograph of groundwater sampling at a public water supply well in Albuquerque, NM, USGS - New Mexico Water Science Center.
PFAS Snow Sampling
Photograph of snow sampling in Cloudcroft, NM, USGS - New Mexico Water Science Center.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are widespread anthropogenic chemicals that have been in use for the past 70 years. This class of compounds comprises thousands of chemicals including perfluorosulfonates (PFSAs) such as perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs), and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). As the use of these chemicals has grown so has their ubiquity in the environment due to their highly persistent nature. PFOAs and PFOS have been investigated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and are considered harmful to human health and the environment. Point sources, such as firefighting training grounds, industrial facilities, and wastewater plant effluent have been found to contribute PFAS into the water cycle. There is evidence that exposure may lead to reproductive and developmental problems as well as liver, kidney, and immunological effects.
PFAS have been detected in public and private drinking water supplies, springs and surface waters in New Mexico. While there are known areas in New Mexico that are affected by PFAS, the presence and distribution of PFAS in water resources across the state of New Mexico are not well characterized.
The objective of this work is to determine the extent of PFAS, if present, in groundwater, surface water, and precipitation across New Mexico. Sampling of water resources for PFAS on this scale has never before been conducted in New Mexico and information gained from sampling is crucial for understanding the distribution throughout the state. The proposed work also includes comprehensive analytical suites in addition to PFAS to provide context for the geochemical evolution and possible sources of water. The program started in 2020 and is continuing. Data are available in the NWIS database.
PFAS Surface Water Sampling
Photograph of PFAS sampling at Rio Grande above Buckman Diversion near White Rock, NM, USGS - New Mexico Water Science Center
Passive and Active Sampling
Photograph of the passive Polar Organic Chemical Integrative Sampler (POCIS) (underwater) deployment (upper post) and active Continuous Low-Level Aquatic Monitoring (CLAM) sampler (lower post, left) and the active solid phase extraction bot sampler (lower post, right), USGS - New Mexico Water Science Center.
PFAS Groundwater Sampling
Photograph of groundwater sampling at a public water supply well in Albuquerque, NM, USGS - New Mexico Water Science Center.
PFAS Surface Water Sampling
Photograph of PFAS sampling at Animas near Farmington, NM, USGS - New Mexico Water Science Center.
Geochemical Suite Groundwater Sampling
Photograph of groundwater sampling at a public water supply well in Albuquerque, NM, USGS - New Mexico Water Science Center.
PFAS Snow Sampling
Photograph of snow sampling in Cloudcroft, NM, USGS - New Mexico Water Science Center.