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Federal water data

County water report

Otero County Water Report

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

Water grade

F

Water score

15.8

State rank

#17

of 32

Health violations

124

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

12.0%

133 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

113

16,705 recent measurements

Live streamflow

106%

TULAROSA CREEK NEAR BENT, NM

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Otero County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

F

Score: 15.8 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

124

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

12% impaired

133 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

106% of mean

TULAROSA CREEK NEAR BENT, NM

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

113

16,705 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.

15.8/100

Health violations

124

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

187.1

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Otero County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Otero County's water systems carry a failing grade, scoring 15.8 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 124 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). A notable 12.0% of assessed waterways carry an impairment designation (16 of 133 water bodies) across Otero County's watersheds. The leading impairment causes are escherichia coli (e. coli) and polychlorinated biphenyls (pcbs). 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 2026-05-14T13:00:00.000-06:00) puts TULAROSA CREEK at 14.0 cfs — near its historical average at 106% of mean flow. 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.

Monitoring Network

EPA WQP

EPA's Water Quality Portal (WQP) aggregates monitoring data from federal, state, and tribal agencies. Otero County has extensive coverage with 113 active monitoring sites with 16,705 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include physical and pfas,perfluorinated alkyl substance. 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 Otero County

Water Verdict

Otero County receives a poor water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 15.8 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

Otero County has recorded 124 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 187.1 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Otero County has a Grade F compliance record with 124 health-based violations — among the highest levels in the country. Otero County's drinking-water compliance score is 15.8 out of 100. Residents are strongly advised to use a certified NSF 58 reverse-osmosis filter or bottled water for all drinking and cooking until violations are corrected. Contacting the New Mexico Department of Environmental Quality or Health can expedite utility compliance action. E. coli is the leading impairment cause in Otero County's watershed. With 113 active water-quality monitoring sites in Otero County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the TULAROSA CREEK gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Otero County has poorer water quality than the average county in New Mexico. Its water score is 5.9 points lower than the state average, suggesting more challenges with contamination control or infrastructure than 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 Otero County's water environment

Watershed Impairment Causes (EPA ATTAINS)

  • 1

    E. coli (bacteria)

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

  • 2

    Polychlorinated Biphenyls (Pcbs)

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

  • 3

    Flow Regime Modification

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

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Official EPA Resources for Otero County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Otero County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Otero County

Consumer Confidence Reports (NM)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in New Mexico

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

12.0%

16 of 133 assessed

Some impairment

Top Impairment Causes

  • 1

    ESCHERICHIA COLI (E. COLI)

  • 2

    POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS (PCBS)

  • 3

    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.

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

113

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

17K

16,705 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • PFAS,Perfluorinated Alkyl Substance
  • 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).

Live USGS Streamgage

River & Stream Conditions

Current Discharge

14.0cfs

May 14, 7:00 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

106%

Near typical

Primary Streamgage

TULAROSA CREEK NEAR BENT, NM

USGS site
08481500
Drainage area
120 sq mi
Long-term mean
13.2 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 Otero 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 Otero County, New Mexico?
Otero County, New Mexico has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 15.8/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 124 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 Otero County?
Otero County has 124 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 Otero County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 12.0% of Otero County's 133 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (16 impaired). The top reported causes are ESCHERICHIA COLI (E. COLI), POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS (PCBS), 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.
How much water-quality monitoring happens in Otero County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 16,705 measurements from 113 monitoring sites in Otero County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, PFAS,Perfluorinated Alkyl Substance, 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.
What's happening with rivers in Otero County right now?
Otero County's primary USGS streamgage on the TULAROSA CREEK has a pipeline snapshot of 14 cubic feet per second — 106% of the long-term mean of 13.22 cfs. Flow is within typical range for this gauge. For the latest gauge feed, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Otero County water compare to the New Mexico average?
Otero County's SDWIS water quality score of 15.8/100 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 Otero County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Otero County has a water quality grade of F (15.8/100). 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 Otero County have so many water violations?
Otero County has 124 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 Otero County rank for water quality in New Mexico?
Otero County ranks #17 out of 32 counties in New Mexico by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 15.8/100, 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

Valencia County

New Mexico

F

14.2

Water score

Grant County

New Mexico

F

17.9

Water score

Sandoval County

New Mexico

F

18.1

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.

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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