waterbycounty
EPA SDWIS

Sandoval County Water Quality

Sandoval County, New Mexico

Water Grade

F

Water Score

18.1

Violations

198

State Rank

#15

of 32 (1 = best)

EPA SDWIS Compliance

Drinking Water Quality

Water Quality Grade

F

Based on EPA compliance history and violation data

Water Score

18.1/100

Higher = better quality

Health Violations

198

Health-based violations

Violation Rate

152.7%

Systems with violations

Water Advisory: Sandoval County

Water Verdict

Sandoval County receives a poor water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 18.1 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

Sandoval County has recorded 198 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 152.7 violations per 1,000 residents, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Residents of Sandoval County are advised to use filtered or bottled water for drinking and cooking until water quality improves. A reverse-osmosis or activated-carbon filter certified to remove the contaminants listed in the utility's Consumer Confidence Report is recommended. With 198 recorded health violations, staying informed about utility communications and boil-water notices is especially important. For long-term peace of mind, request your utility's latest Consumer Confidence Report and consider independent water testing if you have specific health concerns.

Regional Context

Sandoval County has water quality close to the average county in New Mexico. Its water score is within 3.6 points of the state average, meaning its overall water system performance is broadly representative of New Mexico as a whole.

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

32.6%

46 of 141 assessed

Moderate concern

Top Impairment Causes

  • 1

    TEMPERATURE

  • 2

    ALUMINUM, TOTAL

  • 3

    TURBIDITY

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

184

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

58K

57,808 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Inorganics, Minor, Metals
  • Organics, Other

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

209cfs

May 14, 6:15 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

17%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

RIO GRANDE BELOW COCHITI DAM, NM

USGS site
08317400
Drainage area
14,900 sq mi
Long-term mean
1,228 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; "% of typical" compares the latest reading against that average.

Improve your water quality at home

Berkey filters remove 99.9%+ of contaminants from tap water.

Shop Berkey →

Sponsored

Test your tap water

Tap Score provides professional mail-in water testing.

Get Tested →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Sandoval County, New Mexico?
Sandoval County, New Mexico has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 18.1/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 198 health-based drinking water violations over the past 5 years. Watershed health, monitoring records, and live streamflow are reported separately on this page.
Are there any water violations in Sandoval County?
Sandoval County has 198 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 Sandoval County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 32.6% of Sandoval County's 141 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (46 impaired). The top reported causes are TEMPERATURE, ALUMINUM, TOTAL, TURBIDITY. 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 Sandoval County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 57,808 measurements from 184 monitoring sites in Sandoval County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Inorganics, Minor, Metals, Organics, Other. 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 Sandoval County right now?
Sandoval County's primary USGS streamgage on the RIO GRANDE BELOW COCHITI DAM, NM is currently reading 209 cubic feet per second — 17% of the long-term mean of 1,228.24 cfs. This is well below typical — often a signal of drought stress on source water. For genuine real-time data, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Sandoval County water compare to the New Mexico average?
Sandoval County's SDWIS water quality score of 18.1/100 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 Sandoval County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Sandoval County has a water quality grade of F (18.1/100). 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 Sandoval County have so many water violations?
Sandoval County has 198 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 Sandoval County rank for water quality in New Mexico?
Sandoval County ranks #15 out of 32 counties in New Mexico by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 18.1/100, 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

Grant County

New Mexico

F

17.9

Water score

Harding County

New Mexico

F

20.0

Water score

Lincoln County

New Mexico

F

20.2

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, 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 Logan Johnson, Founder & Data EditorUpdated Reviewed by Logan Johnson, Founder & Data Editor

Explore more data for Sandoval County

Property TaxCost of LivingCrime RateIncomeHealthSchoolsDisaster RiskWeatherCounty Score