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States → New Mexico

Community Water System · PWS NM3501225

Lower Colonias Mdwca

Ribera, New Mexico 87560 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 40 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

40
People served
39
EPA violations
13
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 39 drinking-water violations at Lower Colonias Mdwca, 33% of them health-based - below the New Mexico per-system average.

39
Total EPA violations on record
33%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
40
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Lower Colonias Mdwca

Lower Colonias Mdwca is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 40 residents in Ribera, New Mexico (San Miguel County) through 13 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 39 total violations for this system , of which 13 (33%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 12 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2024.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Groundwater Rule, recorded in 11 violations (TT, health-based). This system has not yet been sampled under EPA's UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program, so no PFAS detection data is available here.

Across New Mexico, EPA tracks 1,037 public water systems serving 2,027,497 people, with 154,522 cumulative violations and 38,650 health-based violations on record. About 97% of systems in the state carry at least one violation, and state-wide the average per system is 149 violations. Statewide, 70 of 72 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (97.2%).

Lower Colonias Mdwca's 39 violations sit below the New Mexico average.

All figures above are sourced directly from EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 public data releases and are updated as EPA publishes new reporting cycles.

Population Served
40
Total Violations
39
Health-Based Violations
13
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
13
County
San Miguel
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
0
Monitoring Violations
12
Treatment Tech Violations
13

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Groundwater Rule TT 11 2018
Lead and Copper Rule MR 8 2024
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 4 2010
Revised Total Coliform Rule Other 4 2016
Public Notice Other 2 2019
LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS RPT 2 2024
LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS TT 2 2024
Radium-228 MR 1 2004
Radium-226 MR 1 2004
Combined Uranium MR 1 2004
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 1 2004

Verify This Water System

The figures above are aggregated from EPA's public databases. To verify the underlying records, or to file a complaint, request a Consumer Confidence Report, or check current monitoring status, go directly to the federal and state regulators that enforce the Safe Drinking Water Act for Lower Colonias Mdwca.

Federal Source of Truth

EPA SDWIS, Federal Reports

EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) holds the federal compliance record for every regulated public water system. Open the system-level report by PWS ID:

View PWS ID NM3501225 on SDWIS

Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Reports Search

State Regulator

New Mexico Drinking Water Authority

New Mexico's primacy agency administers the Safe Drinking Water Act locally. Search EPA SDWIS for the current state contact, or use the state's public health or environment department portal.

Find NM regulator via EPA SDWIS

Violation Timeline

Each row links to the EPA SDWIS public record for verification. Cross-reference the contaminant code on EPA's federal report to see violation dates, return-to-compliance status, and enforcement actions.

Year (latest) Contaminant Category Count EPA Record
2024 Lead and Copper Rule MR 8 SDWIS / NM3501225 / 5000
2024 LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS RPT 2 SDWIS / NM3501225 / 5200
2024 LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS TT 2 SDWIS / NM3501225 / 5200
2019 Public Notice Other 2 SDWIS / NM3501225 / 7500
2018 Groundwater Rule TT 11 SDWIS / NM3501225 / 0700
2016 Revised Total Coliform Rule Other 4 SDWIS / NM3501225 / 8000
2010 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 4 SDWIS / NM3501225 / 7000
2004 Radium-228 MR 1 SDWIS / NM3501225 / 4030
2004 Radium-226 MR 1 SDWIS / NM3501225 / 4020
2004 Combined Uranium MR 1 SDWIS / NM3501225 / 4006
2004 Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 1 SDWIS / NM3501225 / 4000

How Lower Colonias Mdwca Compares

Cross-reference this system's record against state averages and the federal MCL framework for context.

Metric Lower Colonias Mdwca New Mexico avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 39 149 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 13 37.3 Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection None 97.2% EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 40 1,955 Sizing context for compliance burden

Sources: EPA SDWIS and EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (40 CFR Part 141). State averages computed across 1,037 regulated public water systems in New Mexico.

Federal MCL reference, Safe Drinking Water Act thresholds ▼
Contaminant Federal MCL / Action Level Note
Lead 0 mg/L (Action Level: 0.015 mg/L) Lead and Copper Rule treatment technique
Arsenic 0.010 mg/L (10 ppb) Health-based MCL since 2006
Total Coliform Treatment technique (RTCR) Indicator organism, monitoring trigger
PFOA / PFOS (PFAS) 4.0 ppt each (final 2024 rule) Compliance deadline 2029 (EPA proposed extending to 2031, not yet final as of May 2026)
Nitrate (as N) 10 mg/L Acute health risk for infants

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Lower Colonias Mdwca water safe to drink? ▼
Lower Colonias Mdwca (PWS ID: NM3501225) has 39 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 40 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Lower Colonias Mdwca serve? ▼
Lower Colonias Mdwca serves 40 people in Ribera, New Mexico. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 13 service connections.
What type of violations does Lower Colonias Mdwca have? ▼
Lower Colonias Mdwca has 39 total violations: 13 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 12 monitoring/reporting violations, and 13 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Lower Colonias Mdwca water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Lower Colonias Mdwca under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Lower Colonias Mdwca use? ▼
Lower Colonias Mdwca uses Groundwater as its primary water source. It is classified as a Community Water System (CWS), serving residential populations year-round.
Where does this data come from? ▼
All data comes from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and the UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program. SDWIS tracks compliance for all public water systems regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Data Sources: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), Q4 2025. This data is provided for informational purposes only.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Data sourced from EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 PFAS monitoring data. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainWater Editorial

Every figure on PlainWater is rendered directly from EPA SDWIS drinking-water data, no number is typed in by an editor. This system's figures are rendered directly from EPA SDWIS data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.