In Tesuque valley, cooperate to safeguard precious water

Ibelieve most folks residing in both the hills and valley of Tesuque are well-intended and likely value-aligned. I imagine anyone who chooses to live in such splendor must share a foundational love and appreciation for the natural world.

There have been a lot of misunderstandings around the water treatment and disposal system installed last year at Bishop’s Lodge.

On one hand, we have an uphill community that invested in what was presented as “a state-of-theart water treatment solution” — a solution that is desperately needed for our uphill neighbors. On the other hand, the reality is this treatment system filters out three contaminants while disregarding other contaminants used by most modern-day households. These include microplastics and pharmaceuticals, often detected in most household waste. It is also located in the flood zone.

Historically, many disastrous events have been preceded by human lack of awareness/education. I recall my wide-eyed disbelief in my 20s when my boyfriend’s mother casually remarked that she smoked all through her pregnancy. “We just didn’t know the impact of smoking then,” she said.

Despite my best of intentions, I have unknowingly made choices that I later learned had negative impacts. Since moving to Tesuque, I’ve become more connected to the water flowing from my tap as it is no longer sourced from a mysterious municipal system but from the ground below me. Being more connected to the source, I ask, “How I can be the best steward for this precious water?”

I’ve learned that:

◆ Washing plastic items (including detergent pods encased in plastic) in the dishwasher increases microplastic residue in household waste.

◆ Washing synthetic fabrics such as polyester and nylon in hot water in washing machines increases PFAS in household waste.

◆ The pharmaceuticals that humans ingest are being detected and affecting the biology in waterways receiving municipal water treatment discharge (especially hormone treatments and birth control).

The waste flowing into the disposal field is sourced from, according to Bishop’s Lodge, “toilets, sinks, bath fixtures, clothes or dishwashing machines and floor drains.”

My plea for operators of Bishop’s Lodge as a nearby well owner are these: Tap into the municipal system, where experts can overlook filtration practices. Until you can accomplish this, move the treatment plant out of the flood zone and relocate your aggregated partially treated waste to multiple locations and to where the soil affected does not overlap with our shared aquifer. Upgrade your filtration system to include filtration of all known possible contaminants. Finally, implement regular, independent and comprehensive testing so your neighbors feel safe.

Can we live in a community where no one is compromised or left behind? As a self-proclaimed optimist, I believe this is possible.

Viviette Hunt has been a neighbor to Bishop’s Lodge Resort since 2018.