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Community Water System · PWS NM3501821

Ensenada Mdwca

Tierra Amarilla, New Mexico 87575 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 300 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

300
People served
208
EPA violations
38
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 208 drinking-water violations at Ensenada Mdwca, 18% of them health-based - above the New Mexico per-system average.

208
Total EPA violations on record
18%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
300
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Ensenada Mdwca

Ensenada Mdwca is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 300 residents in Tierra Amarilla, New Mexico (Rio Arriba County) through 80 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 208 total violations for this system , of which 38 (18%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 132 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2025.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Revised Total Coliform Rule, recorded in 50 violations (MON). 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%).

Ensenada Mdwca's 208 violations sit above 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
300
Total Violations
208
Health-Based Violations
38
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
80
County
Rio Arriba
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
38
Monitoring Violations
132
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 50 2025
Coliform (TCR) MCL 38 2002
Coliform (TCR) MR 24 2003
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 23 2021
Chlorine MR 21 2017
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 16 2016
TTHM MR 12 2015
Lead and Copper Rule MR 7 2014
Revised Total Coliform Rule Other 4 2016
Public Notice Other 3 2018
Nitrate MR 2 1981
Coliform (TCR) Other 1 1993

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 Ensenada 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 NM3501821 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
2025 Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 50 SDWIS / NM3501821 / 8000
2021 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 23 SDWIS / NM3501821 / 7000
2018 Public Notice Other 3 SDWIS / NM3501821 / 7500
2017 Chlorine MR 21 SDWIS / NM3501821 / 0999
2016 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 16 SDWIS / NM3501821 / 2456
2016 Revised Total Coliform Rule Other 4 SDWIS / NM3501821 / 8000
2015 TTHM MR 12 SDWIS / NM3501821 / 2950
2014 Lead and Copper Rule MR 7 SDWIS / NM3501821 / 5000
2003 Coliform (TCR) MR 24 SDWIS / NM3501821 / 3100
2002 Coliform (TCR) MCL 38 SDWIS / NM3501821 / 3100
1993 Coliform (TCR) Other 1 SDWIS / NM3501821 / 3100
1981 Nitrate MR 2 SDWIS / NM3501821 / 1040

How Ensenada Mdwca Compares

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

Metric Ensenada Mdwca New Mexico avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 208 149 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 38 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 300 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 Ensenada Mdwca water safe to drink? ▼
Ensenada Mdwca (PWS ID: NM3501821) has 208 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 300 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Ensenada Mdwca serve? ▼
Ensenada Mdwca serves 300 people in Tierra Amarilla, New Mexico. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 80 service connections.
What type of violations does Ensenada Mdwca have? ▼
Ensenada Mdwca has 208 total violations: 38 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 132 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Ensenada Mdwca water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Ensenada Mdwca under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Ensenada Mdwca use? ▼
Ensenada 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.