SILVER CITY, NM, August 30, 2024 – The Gila National Forest manages numerous small water systems that provide drinking water. On February 24, 2024, we were notified that we failed to collect required drinking water samples for inorganic nitrates/nitrites. Although this incident was not an emergency, as our customers, the public has a right to know what happened and what we are doing to correct the situation.
The affected water systems include Glenwood Administrative Site, Lake Roberts Campground, Mimbres Administrative Site, and Quemado Lake Recreation Area. The missed samples have since been collected, and the violation is therefore resolved. When they were analyzed, the samples were found to be consistent with past findings of "non-detectable" levels of nitrate-nitrite inorganic materials at these sites, and there is currently no concern about water quality.
Numerous staff across the forest have received training to serve as water samplers and water system operators to ensure future compliance with meeting sampling requirements. For more information contact Maribeth Pecotte at 575-388-8211 or
