NMED Issues Orders Against DOE Over LANL Toxic Chromium Plume

A toxic hexavalent chromium plume originating from Los Alamos National Laboratory has migrated beyond lab boundaries onto Pueblo de San Ildefonso land for the first time, prompting the New Mexico Environment Department to issue nearly $16 million in civil penalties against the U.S. Department of Energy and launch a parallel overhaul of waste disposal standards at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad.

The enforcement package, announced February 11, includes two separate administrative compliance orders. The first carries a civil penalty of $6,026,124 and stems from hazardous waste violations tied to a 2024 consent order governing LANL's management of the groundwater chromium plume; DOE must now submit a revised interim measures plan with an implementation schedule to NMED for approval. The second imposes a $9,784,503 penalty for groundwater standards violations and gives DOE 60 days to develop a corrective action plan for mitigation and cleanup, along with a revised groundwater discharge permit application.

Recent sampling conducted jointly by NMED and LANL found hexavalent chromium concentrations ranging from 53 to 72.9 micrograms per liter, depending on depth. New Mexico's groundwater standard is 50 micrograms per liter. "These new results are conclusive evidence that the U.S. Department of Energy's efforts to contain the chromium plume have been inadequate," said Bruce Baizel, NMED Director of Compliance and Enforcement.

Environment Secretary James Kenney framed the escalation as a response to sustained federal inaction. "We're escalating because they're not meeting the moment that immediately preceded it," Kenney said.

The chromium plume is not new to Los Alamos County residents. The roughly 1.5-mile underground plume was first discovered in the early 2000s; hexavalent chromium was historically used as an anti-corrosive in LANL pipes. Long-term ingestion of the carcinogen can cause serious health problems, including increased cancer risk. However, NMED, the Pueblo de San Ildefonso, and the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer have all confirmed there is no imminent threat to drinking water on the pueblo or in Los Alamos County because the plume is not currently near any known private or public drinking water wells. The three agencies are working together on next steps, including finalizing construction of additional monitoring wells to track the plume's migration.

A third enforcement action requires DOE to submit documentation to NMED justifying any request to defer cleanup of Material Disposal Area C, an 11-acre landfill at LANL that contains toxic and radioactive pollution.

NMED Cabinet Secretary Kenney also initiated a modification to WIPP's operating permit to establish explicit standards and metrics for disposing of LANL waste at the Carlsbad facility. The move follows a stark disparity in disposal activity: between 2021 and 2025, DOE sent five times more waste to WIPP from Idaho National Laboratory than from LANL. NMED described the permit modification letter as the first step in a public process, with draft permit language to be published for public review.

Kenney had signaled this direction as far back as September 2024, when he declared: "Los Alamos National Laboratory must now immediately get to work and fill the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant with legacy waste. All excuses have been voided."

DOE has not publicly responded to the February enforcement actions. Media inquiries can be directed to NMED Director of Communications Drew Goretzka at 505.670.8911 or drew.goretzka@env.nm.gov.