Overview
Picacho Hills wastewater treatment plant serves 1,500 people in Doña Ana County, New Mexico. It provides secondary treatment and discharges 567.81 cubic meters of treated effluent.
Picacho Hills is a wastewater treatment plant located in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. It serves a small population of approximately 1,500 residents in this unincorporated area of the state. The plant is part of the municipal wastewater infrastructure for the region. The plant operates with secondary treatment, which is the standard level required by the U.S. Clean Water Act for municipal wastewater facilities. It has a designed capacity of 567.81 cubic meters and discharges a similar volume of treated effluent. As a small facility, it falls under state-level NPDES permitting administered by the New Mexico Environment Department. The treated wastewater is discharged into the local watershed, which ultimately drains into the Rio Grande. The Rio Grande flows south through New Mexico and Texas, eventually reaching the Gulf of Mexico. This river system supports diverse aquatic life and is a critical water source for agriculture and communities in the arid Southwest.
Environmental context
The plant discharges into the Rio Grande watershed, which flows through the Chihuahuan Desert and provides essential water for irrigation and wildlife. The Rio Grande supports species such as the Rio Grande silvery minnow and serves as a migratory corridor for birds. Downstream, the river empties into the Gulf of Mexico, contributing to the estuarine ecosystem.
Frequently asked questions
Picacho Hills is located in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States, near the city of Las Cruces.
The plant serves approximately 1,500 residents in the Picacho Hills area of Doña Ana County.
The plant discharges treated effluent into the local watershed, which flows into the Rio Grande and eventually reaches the Gulf of Mexico.
Picacho Hills provides secondary treatment, which is the standard required by the U.S. Clean Water Act for municipal wastewater facilities.
The plant operates under the Clean Water Act and is subject to NPDES permitting, typically administered by the New Mexico Environment Department for facilities of this scale.
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