New Mexico reviews wastewater permit for Lordsburg Generating Station
New Mexico opened a public review of a Lordsburg wastewater permit that could allow up to 30,465 gallons a day of industrial discharge near local groundwater.
New Mexico posted a June 26 public notice on permit DP-1474 for the Lordsburg Generating Station, opening a 30-day window for residents to weigh in on a discharge permit that would allow up to 30,465 gallons per day of industrial wastewater to a disposal system. The Ground Water Quality Bureau’s review covers a modification of the permit. Nitrogen compounds, metals and organic compounds are listed as potential contaminants.
The plant is the Lordsburg Generating Station, an operating natural-gas power plant in Hidalgo County run by Public Service Company of New Mexico, or PNM. The facility is listed at 88 megawatts with two combustion-turbine generators and began operating in 2002, while PNM lists a Lordsburg gas facility at 85 megawatts.
Residents who want to follow the file can contact Marchell Schuman at the New Mexico Environment Department, at 505-795-3275 or 505-827-2900. The notice was posted in English and Spanish and includes accessible navigation. The nearby community includes a significant percentage of Spanish speakers. Written comments or a request for a public hearing were due 30 days after publication, which places the deadline on July 26, 2026, and the department will hold a hearing if it determines there is substantial public interest.
The notice follows an earlier round of review on the same DP-1474 file. NMED sent PNM a certified-mail notice on March 14, 2025, proposing approval of the permit modification, then publicly noticed the draft on March 28, 2025. The public-comment portal lists comment dates from March 19, 2025, through April 28, 2025.
Hidalgo County’s 2020 Census population was 4,178. PNM serves more than 500,000 residential and business customers across New Mexico.
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