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County water report

Harding County Water Report

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

Water grade

F

Water score

20.0

State rank

#14

of 32

Health violations

1

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

12.5%

8 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

N/A

EPA Water Quality Portal

Live streamflow

0%

UTE CREEK NEAR LOGAN, NM

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Harding County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

F

Score: 20.0 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

1

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

13% impaired

8 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

0% of mean

UTE CREEK NEAR LOGAN, NM

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

N/A

Rolling 5-year window

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.

20.0/100

Health violations

1

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

131.9

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Harding County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Harding County's water systems carry a failing grade, scoring 20.0 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 1 health-based violation — a single incident worth monitoring.

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). A notable 12.5% of assessed waterways carry an impairment designation (1 of 8 water bodies) across Harding County's watersheds. The leading impairment cause is flow regime modification. Impairment does not mean tap water is unsafe — it measures ambient waterway conditions upstream of treatment, not finished drinking water.

River & Streamflow Status

USGS NWIS

USGS NWIS gauge data (as of 2026-05-14T12:15:00.000-06:00) puts UTE CREEK at 0.0 cfs — well below its long-term average at 0% of mean — low-flow conditions worth noting for water-dependent ecosystems. Streamflow is a leading indicator of drought stress, sediment load, and dilution capacity: low flows concentrate pollutants and warm water temperatures, stressing aquatic life and, in surface-water-dependent systems, the source water quality for treatment plants.

Editorial advisory

What the data suggests for Harding County

Water Verdict

Harding County receives a poor water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 20.0 out of 100. The water supply has documented quality issues. Residents are strongly encouraged to use filtered or bottled water for drinking and to stay informed about utility improvement plans.

Violation Context

Harding County has recorded 1 health-based violation, meaning the water system experienced at least one exceedance of federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements. At 131.9 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Drinking-water compliance in Harding County is rated Grade F, reflecting significant health-based violations in the recent reporting period. Harding County's drinking-water compliance score is 20.0 out of 100. 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. Flow Regime Modification is the leading impairment cause in Harding County's watershed. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the UTE CREEK gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Harding County has water quality close to the average county in New Mexico. Its water score is within 1.7 points of the state average, meaning its overall water system performance is broadly representative of New Mexico as a whole.

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 Harding County's water environment

Watershed Impairment Causes (EPA ATTAINS)

  • 1

    Flow Regime Modification

    Impairment cause per EPA Clean Water Act §303(d) assessment

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Official EPA Resources for Harding County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Harding County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Harding County

Consumer Confidence Reports (NM)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in New Mexico

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

12.5%

1 of 8 assessed

Some impairment

Top Impairment Causes

  • 1

    FLOW REGIME MODIFICATION

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.

Live USGS Streamgage

River & Stream Conditions

Current Discharge

0.00cfs

May 14, 6:15 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

0%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

UTE CREEK NEAR LOGAN, NM

USGS site
07226500
Drainage area
1,748 sq mi
Long-term mean
18.4 cfs

One representative streamgage (the one with the largest drainage area in the county). Many counties have multiple gauges; this view summarizes the primary one. The long-term mean is the full-record annual average; the percent-of-typical value compares the latest reading against that average.

Free tool

Estimate Your Water Costs

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 Harding 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 Harding County, New Mexico?
Harding County, New Mexico has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 20.0/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 1 health-based drinking water violation over the past 5 years. Watershed health, monitoring records, and streamflow snapshots are reported separately on this page.
Are there any water violations in Harding County?
Harding County has 1 health-based drinking water violation 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 Harding County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 12.5% of Harding County's 8 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (1 impaired). The top reported causes are FLOW REGIME MODIFICATION. 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.
What's happening with rivers in Harding County right now?
Harding County's primary USGS streamgage on the UTE CREEK has a pipeline snapshot of 0 cubic feet per second — 0% of the long-term mean of 18.38 cfs. This is well below typical — often a signal of drought stress on source water. For the latest gauge feed, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Harding County water compare to the New Mexico average?
Harding County's SDWIS water quality score of 20.0/100 is lower 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 Harding County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Harding County has a water quality grade of F (20.0/100). 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).
Does Harding County have clean drinking water?
Harding County has 1 health-based drinking water violation according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 20.0/100 and grade F, the county's drinking water has had some compliance issues but continues to be monitored. Note: drinking-water compliance speaks to the public water system, not necessarily to the watershed itself — check the Watershed Health zone for ATTAINS §303(d) data.
How does Harding County rank for water quality in New Mexico?
Harding County ranks #14 out of 32 counties in New Mexico by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 20.0/100, it falls in the middle 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

Lincoln County

New Mexico

F

20.2

Water score

Sandoval County

New Mexico

F

18.1

Water score

Grant County

New Mexico

F

17.9

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.

Live streamflow from the USGS National Water Information System (NWIS), continuous discharge measurements from the largest-drainage gauge in each county, compared against the full-record long-term annual mean.

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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