ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - New Mexico environmental regulators say the Air Force could face $10,000-per-dayy state fines if the service misses a June 30 deadline to start cleaning groundwater contaminated by a decades-old fuel spill.
A state Environment Department letter says the Air Force’s current plan to use bacteria to break down the fuel could miss the June 30 date by up to a year.
The Albuquerque Journal (https://ow.ly/whAJk ) reports that it obtained the letter sent last week through a public records request.
Kirtland spokesman Carl Grusnick declined comment on the letter, saying Kirtland remains committed to ensuring that Albuquerque’s drinking water remains safe.
The spill was discovered in 1999. Contamination has been found about a mile from the initial leak but no contamination has been detected in municipal drinking water.
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