About 420,000 gallons of oil-contaminated water was spilled in an area about 5 miles east of Carlsbad last fall and the state just recently completed clean-up efforts.

The spill, reported in October 2021, sent a mixture of water and petroleum flowing across U.S. Highway 62/180, impacting nearby homes and a trailer park in the area.

It originated from an illegal surface water management facility, per a notice from the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department (EMNRD), that was unlicensed and owned by a private landowner.

Remediation work, led by EMNRD’s Oil Conservation Division (OCD) saw the division removing about 391 cubic yards of contaminated soils and other material, while backfilling 513 cubic yards of clean soil and material, and gathering 100 soil samples from the area.

Read the full story here: https://www.ruidosonews.com/story/news/local/2022/02/05/20-000-gallon-oil-water-spill-reported-east-carlsbad/6648021001/

By: Adrian Hedden for Carlsbad Current Argus