waterbycounty
Compiled federal source snapshot

New Mexico Water Quality

Drinking water data for all 32 counties.

Avg SDWIS Compliance Index

18.7

Most Common Five-Year SDWIS Compliance Band

F

Counties with Data

32

of 32 total

County water atlas

New Mexico water signals by county

A state-level 2.5D view across drinking-water compliance, watershed impairment, monitoring density, and streamflow snapshot context. Pin any county, switch layers, then use the lens controls to compare index ranges, recorded violation rates, or impaired watersheds without leaving the page.

Counties

32

Avg SDWIS index

18.7

Watersheds

32

ATTAINS counties

Monitoring

30

23 fresh USGS snapshots

State atlas layers combine EPA SDWIS health-based violations, EPA ATTAINS 303(d) impairment assessments, EPA Water Quality Portal monitoring sites, and representative USGS NWIS streamflow gauges. Streamflow values appear only for fresh pipeline snapshots, not as a continuously updated stream. County pages include the observation time and year.

Prepared by ByCounty Editorial TeamPublished by WaterByCounty

Multi-source coverage in New Mexico

Beyond Drinking Water

EPA SDWIS

32/ 32

counties with drinking-water compliance data

1,478 health violations statewide (5yr)

EPA ATTAINS

48.1%

avg impaired across 32 counties

541 of 945 assessed bodies impaired

EPA WQP

1,105

monitoring sites across 30 counties

385,002 total readings (5yr window)

USGS NWIS

23

counties with a fresh pipeline snapshot

2 above21 below

State atlas notes

What stands out in New Mexico

County water quality is not one number. The strongest read comes from comparing drinking-water compliance against watershed impairment, monitoring density, and streamflow context. Use these signals as a starting point, then open any county profile for source-level detail.

Compliance spread

De Baca County has the highest value in the published state SDWIS Compliance Index table at 86.2/100, while Catron County has the lowest at 0.8/100. That is a 85.4 point gap inside one state.

Zero health violations

2

3+ health violations

29

Watershed pressure

The atlas impairment layer points to counties where assessed water bodies are most likely to miss state quality standards. Assessment density varies, so compare the percentage with the number of assessed bodies on the county page.

Bernalillo County85.7%McKinley County83.3%Sandoval County78.0%

Monitoring hubs

Sandoval County186 sitesRio Arriba County125 sitesSan Juan County117 sites

Lowest flow reads

McKinley County0%San Miguel County0%Sierra County0%

Highest fresh streamflow pipeline snapshots: Chaves County (455%, observation 2026), Colfax County (188%, observation 2026), Lincoln County (79%, observation 2026). These are source-data observations, not household tap-water conclusions.

All New Mexico Counties

CountySDWIS Compliance Index
De Baca County86.2
Los Alamos County86.2
Chaves County52.5
Bernalillo County40.7
Curry County33.7
Eddy County30.3
San Juan County27.7
Roosevelt County27.4
Lea County25.4
Luna County22.6
Quay County15.8
Sandoval County15.2
Grant County14.6
Santa Fe County14.4
Lincoln County13.6
Valencia County12.7
Socorro County12.3
Otero County11.8
Harding County10.8
McKinley County7.7
Cibola County6.1
Union County5.3
Sierra County5.0
Taos County4.2
Colfax County2.6
Guadalupe County2.4
San Miguel County2.4
Rio Arriba County2.2
Mora County1.8
Torrance County1.5
Hidalgo County1.4
Catron County0.8

Frequently Asked Questions

Which New Mexico county has the highest SDWIS Compliance Index?
De Baca County has the highest SDWIS Compliance Index in the published New Mexico cohort at 86.2/100. This WaterByCounty relative comparison is not an EPA score and does not establish current conditions for a utility or address.
What does the Five-Year SDWIS Compliance Band mean?
The band is derived only from each county aggregation's recorded health-violation rate per 100,000 people served for the stated five-year source window. It is separate from the relative SDWIS Compliance Index and is not a current determination for a specific utility or address.
What does EPA ATTAINS report across New Mexico?
Across 32 published New Mexico county records with EPA ATTAINS data, 541 of 945 assessed water bodies are listed as impaired. This is a watershed assessment and does not describe finished household tap water.
Which USGS streamflow records are shown across New Mexico?
WaterByCounty has 23 fresh USGS pipeline snapshots in the published New Mexico cohort. Each county page shows its observation timestamp and year. A pipeline snapshot is not a continuously updated reading or a tap-water safety measure.
Where can New Mexico residents find current official information?
Review the applicable utility's Consumer Confidence Report, active notices, and the state drinking-water agency. WaterByCounty's county-level historical aggregations do not establish the current status of a specific utility, address, private well, or household plumbing system.
What does Water Quality Portal monitoring volume show in New Mexico?
The published county records contain 385,002 results from 1,105 monitoring locations in the site's five-year aggregation. Monitoring volume does not by itself indicate better or worse water quality.

Data Sources

Drinking-water compliance data from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) via the ECHO enforcement database. The WaterByCounty SDWIS Compliance Index reflects the recorded rate and is not an EPA score.

Disclaimer: This data is informational only. It is not health, legal, or professional advice. For concerns about your specific water supply, contact your local water utility.

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