New water-quality rules proposed

Changes to water-quality standards affecting the Santa Fe River, including the municipal reservoirs, are proposed by the state Environment Department's Surface Water Quality Bureau.

The agency plans two public meetings on the changes for Nichols and McClure reservoirs and for the river from Nichols to Cochiti Pueblo.

The city draws as much as 40 percent of its drinking water from the reservoirs through a Santa Fe Canyon treatment plant.

The schedule for the public meetings:

• 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 23, at the La Cienega Community Center, 50-A San Jose, La Cienega.

• 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 29, at the Santa Fe Main Library Community Room, 145 Washington Ave.

Luján's proposed measure calls to broaden mission of national labs

The country's national labs could one day transition to new missions under a measure sponsored by U.S. Rep. Ben Luján.

The measure, an amendment in the Defense Authorization Act, calls for a study of broadening the mission of the National Nuclear Security Administration's labs.

"Our national labs provide a tremendous resource that is essential to our efforts to spur innovation and economic development, but multiple reports have called attention to the need to expand the labs' mission in order to strengthen their capabilities," Luján said in a statement. "These reports highlight the important gains that can be made -- especially in New Mexico where Los Alamos and Sandia laboratories position the state to attract new businesses and jobs as new technologies are developed."

Library restores cut services

The Santa Fe Public Library has resumed interlibrary loans and other services that were cut due to staff shortages.

The Saturday hours at the LaFarge Branch Library also have been restored and that building is now open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday though Wednesday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. The media department at the Main Library is now open.