Copper

Where It Comes From in New Mexico

In New Mexico, high levels of copper in drinking water usually come from two main places. First, it can leach into your tap water from aging household plumbing, particularly in homes built between 1982 and 1987 that used copper pipes joined with lead-based solder, especially when the water is naturally corrosive.²˒³ Second, New Mexico has a long history of industrial mining that has impacted groundwater. Contamination from massive mining operations can pollute the groundwater aquifers that supply local drinking water.²

Health Concerns

While your body needs low levels of copper, drinking water that has too much copper can make you sick ⁴. Short-term effects of drinking copper-contaminated water include stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea ²,⁴. Long-term exposure to high levels is even more dangerous, potentially leading to liver and kidney damage ². Infants, children, and people with specific genetic conditions like Wilson's disease are especially vulnerable to health issues from too much copper ²,⁵.

How Climate Change Exacerbates Exposure Risk

Natural disasters, specifically wildfires, can directly impact the amount of heavy metals in our water. Wildfires change the landscape, and post-fire runoff can contaminate surface and well water ⁶. For example, following the catastrophic Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire in 2022, studies found elevated levels of heavy metals, including copper, in Mora County's groundwater ⁶.

How to Prevent Exposure Risk

If you get your water from a private well, it is your responsibility to make sure it is safe to drink, as the state does not regulate private wells ⁷.

• Look out for signs: Pay attention if your water develops a metallic taste or leaves blue-green stains on fixtures ².

• Test your water: Have your well water tested by a certified laboratory ⁷. Following the recent wildfires, the state has offered free well testing and emergency drinking water to residents in affected areas, such as Mora County⁶,⁹.

• Flush the tap: If water has been sitting in your pipes for several hours, run the cold water for 15 to 30 seconds before drinking or cooking to flush out the concentrated metals ⁸.

• Use cold water only: Never use hot tap water for drinking, cooking, or making baby formula, as hot water dissolves copper much faster than cold water ⁸,¹⁰.

• Never boil the water: Boiling water will not remove copper; it simply evaporates the water and leaves the metals behind, making them more concentrated ⁸,⁹.

• Filter your water: If your water has high copper levels, you can use certified water filters, such as reverse osmosis systems, to reduce the metals ⁸.