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Federal water data

County water report

Curry County Water Report

Drinking-water compliance, watershed health, monitoring records, and river conditions for Curry County, New Mexico.

Water grade

F

Water score

41.1

State rank

#5

of 32

Health violations

16

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

0.0%

7 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

76

5,344 recent measurements

Live streamflow

No gauge

Primary USGS station not mapped

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Curry County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

F

Score: 41.1 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

16

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

0% impaired

7 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

No gauge

Primary USGS gauge not mapped

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

76

5,344 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

F

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

41.1/100

Health violations

16

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

30.4

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Curry County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Curry County's water systems carry a failing grade, scoring 41.1 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 16 health-based violations — a pattern that public water utilities are required to disclose and correct.

Watershed Conditions

EPA ATTAINS

Under the Clean Water Act §303(d), EPA ATTAINS tracks whether waterways meet quality standards for drinking, recreation, and aquatic life (reporting cycle: 2022). None of the assessed waterways are listed as impaired (0 of 7 water bodies) across Curry County's watersheds. Impairment does not mean tap water is unsafe — it measures ambient waterway conditions upstream of treatment, not finished drinking water.

Monitoring Network

EPA WQP

EPA's Water Quality Portal (WQP) aggregates monitoring data from federal, state, and tribal agencies. Curry County has extensive coverage with 76 active monitoring sites with 5,344 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include pfas,perfluorinated alkyl substance and physical. More monitoring sites generally indicate greater scientific attention to local water conditions — and provide the baseline data that regulators use to set future impairment listings.

Editorial advisory

What the data suggests for Curry County

Water Verdict

Curry County, New Mexico receives a below-average water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 41.1 out of 100. Residents should review their utility's Consumer Confidence Report and may want to consider additional water filtration for drinking. Separately, EPA ATTAINS assessments track 7 water bodies in the county's watershed, none of which are currently listed as impaired under the Clean Water Act.

Violation Context

EPA SDWIS records for Curry County, New Mexico show 16 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 30.4 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues. For independent context, 5,344 water-quality monitoring results have been recorded across the county in the EPA Water Quality Portal over the past five years.

Consumer Guidance

Drinking-water compliance in Curry County is rated Grade F, reflecting significant health-based violations in the recent reporting period. Curry County's drinking-water compliance score is 41.1 out of 100. The violation rate for Curry County is 30.4 per 100,000 people served. An NSF 53 or NSF 58-certified filter is recommended for drinking and cooking water. Check the Consumer Confidence Report from your utility to identify the specific contaminants and required corrective actions — utilities are legally required to notify customers of violations. With 76 active water-quality monitoring sites in Curry County, data coverage is strong.

Regional Context

Curry County has better water quality than the average county in New Mexico. Its water score is 19.4 points higher than the state average, indicating stronger water system performance relative to neighboring counties.

Advisory text summarizes county-level public records and is not a replacement for your utility's current Consumer Confidence Report or direct local notices.

Contaminants & Resources

Key issues flagged in Curry County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Curry County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Curry County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Curry County

Consumer Confidence Reports (NM)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in New Mexico

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

0.0%

0 of 7 assessed

Mostly healthy

Top Impairment Causes

No specific impairment causes reported for the assessed water bodies in this county.

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Impairment is determined under the Clean Water Act §303(d): a water body is impaired when it fails to meet state-defined quality standards for designated uses (drinking, recreation, aquatic life). Assessment coverage varies by state; counties without assessed water bodies are not shown.

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

76

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

5.3K

5,344 total readings

Most Measured

  • PFAS,Perfluorinated Alkyl Substance
  • Physical
  • Inorganics, Minor, Metals

Categories measured most frequently

Data from the EPA Water Quality Portal (WQP), aggregating monitoring records from federal, state, and tribal sources. Each measurement represents a single sample analyzed for a specific characteristic (e.g., E. coli, pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrogen).

Free tool

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Water Cost Estimate

3

3 people  ·  ~225 gal/day

Annual Total

$558

Monthly

$47

Water Bill

$558/yr

Filter Cost

$0/yr

Safety Grade for Curry County:C — Moderate

Some violations or watershed impairment detected.

Estimates use the national average residential water rate ($0.0068/gal, EPA/AWWA 2023) and EPA WaterSense per-person consumption baseline (75 gal/person/day). Actual bills vary by utility, usage tier, and local infrastructure fees. For informational purposes only.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Curry County, New Mexico?
Curry County, New Mexico has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 41.1/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 16 health-based drinking water violations over the past 5 years. Watershed health, monitoring records, and streamflow snapshots are reported separately on this page.
Are there any water violations in Curry County?
Curry County has 16 health-based drinking water violations recorded by the EPA over the past 5 years. Health-based violations indicate instances where contaminant levels exceeded EPA Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs). Violations may have been resolved — check with your local water utility for current status.
How healthy are the watersheds in Curry County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 0.0% of Curry County's 7 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (0 impaired). Impairment means the water body fails to meet state quality standards for at least one designated use — drinking water source, recreation, aquatic life, or fish consumption. Note: watershed impairment doesn't always translate to tap-water issues; treatment plants can remove most regulated contaminants.
How much water-quality monitoring happens in Curry County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 5,344 measurements from 76 monitoring sites in Curry County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are PFAS,Perfluorinated Alkyl Substance, Physical, Inorganics, Minor, Metals. Each measurement is a single sample analyzed for one characteristic (E. coli, pH, dissolved oxygen, etc.). High monitoring density means more scientific evidence behind any reported signal — it does not by itself indicate water quality.
How does Curry County water compare to the New Mexico average?
Curry County's SDWIS water quality score of 41.1/100 is higher than the New Mexico state average of 21.7. The average water quality grade across New Mexico is F, based on data from 32 counties with available SDWIS data.
Is tap water safe to drink in Curry County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Curry County has a water quality grade of F (41.1/100). This indicates below-average compliance with significant violations. Residents may want to consider home water filtration or independent testing. The grade speaks to the public water system, not the watershed — for watershed-level concerns, see the Watershed Health zone. For the most up-to-date information, contact your local water utility or review your Consumer Confidence Report (CCR).
Why does Curry County have so many water violations?
Curry County has 16 health-based drinking water violations on record from the EPA SDWIS database. A higher violation count can result from aging infrastructure, underfunded water utilities, agricultural runoff contamination, or industrial pollution. Counties with more water systems may also see more violations simply due to scale. Residents concerned about water quality should consider independent water testing and home filtration systems.
How does Curry County rank for water quality in New Mexico?
Curry County ranks #5 out of 32 counties in New Mexico by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 41.1/100, it falls in the top third of counties statewide. The ranking reflects EPA SDWIS compliance only — not watershed impairment, monitoring density, or streamflow, which are tracked separately on this page.

Counties with Similar Water Quality

Bernalillo County

New Mexico

D

43.4

Water score

Eddy County

New Mexico

F

36.6

Water score

Quay County

New Mexico

F

31.3

Water score

Data Sources

Drinking-water compliance data from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) via the ECHO enforcement database. Scores reflect compliance history and health-based violation counts.

Watershed health and impaired-waterway data from the EPA ATTAINS Clean Water Act §303(d) assessments, state-reported and EPA-finalized.

Water-quality monitoring counts from the EPA Water Quality Portal (WQP), federated USGS, EPA, and state agency sampling records over a rolling 5-year window.

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.

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

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