My neighbor recently took her dog kayaking in Cochiti Lake. The dog got sick, so she tested the water and it was positive for toxic algae, which she reported on Nextdoor. I went down to the booth at the entrance to the lake and the volunteer who staffs the booth said the lake should be closed to dogs.
Toxic algae, however, is not the only problem with Cochiti Lake. In the process of trying to determine whether I would invite my partner’s grandchildren to the lake, I spoke with a Taos river watch group. They said PFAS chemicals are in the Rio Grande, which feeds into the lake.
Moreover, The Santa Fe New Mexican, along with The Associated Press (“Watchdog: Plutonium found in open space,” Aug 16), reported that radioactive waste is making its way to the river, the lake and the aquifer. According to the article, “[Michael] Ketterer and the watchdog group found trace amounts of plutonium from decades of weapons work at Los Alamos National Laboratory have contaminated the Rio Grande at least as far as Cochiti Lake and could be in the regional aquifer that serves a large population of New Mexicans.” Ketterer is a professor emeritus of chemistry and biochemistry at Northern Arizona University.
If readers do not know, the radioactive waste enters the Rio Grande at San Ildefonso Pueblo, flows past the water pumps for Santa Fe drinking water at Diablo Canyon and, south of Cochiti Lake, is used to irrigate thousands of acres of agricultural land, much of it on pueblos.
It’s clear to me that Cochiti Lake should be closed to recreational use due to the toxic algae, PFAS chemicals and waste that takes 18,000 years or more to degrade. Contact the Corps of Engineers and Sens. Ben Ray Luján and Martin Heinrich to ask for the closing of the lake and appropriation of cleanup funds. Burying our heads in the desert sand like ostriches will not change the scenario.
Ginny Schneider is a mediator who lives in Cochiti Lake.
The Santa Fe New Mexican observes its 175th anniversary with a series highlighting some of the major stories and figures that have appeared in the paper's pages through its history. The collection also includes archival photo galleries.
