Santa Fe – The New Mexico Environment Department's (NMED) Drinking Water Bureau is confirming a precautionary "boil water advisory" for the Santa Fe County West Sector Water System.

Santa Fe County West Sector Water System issued the precautionary advisory Tuesday after a 16.0-inch transmission line was ruptured causing water delivery to the affected area to be disrupted. No bacteriological contamination has been detected at this time, however, the line break and outage create potential pathways for contamination. The system is taking this proactive precautionary measure to ensure the protection of public health.

Santa Fe County-West Sector Water System is a community public water system in Santa Fe County that serves approximately 2,690 customers.

This advisory applies to the drinking water from the Santa Fe County West Sector Water System, and does not extend to any other surrounding water systems. The West Sector area includes La Tierra, La Mariposa, Las Campanas Estates I & II, La Serena, Tessera, Northwest Ranches, Salva Tierra, Tiera de Oro, Los Suenos, Sonrisa, and Aldea subdivisions.

Customers of the Santa Fe County West Sector Water System were advised to boil the water for one minute (3 minutes if above 6,500 feet in elevation) before drinking, cooking, washing fruits and vegetables, feeding a baby, brushing teeth, preparing drinks, making ice, and providing drinking water for pets. More details about precautions in English and Spanish can be found on the DWB's webpage at: https://www.env.nm.gov/drinking_water/boil-water-advisories/.

The NMED DWB will provide compliance oversight and technical assistance to the water system as needed. For more information, please contact NMED Drinking Water Bureau Compliance Officer Wayne Jeffs at (505) 476-8612.