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Community Water System · PWS NM3506729

Penasco Mdwca

Penasco, New Mexico 87553 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 549 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

549
People served
80
EPA violations
16
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 80 drinking-water violations at Penasco Mdwca, 20% of them health-based - below the New Mexico per-system average.

80
Total EPA violations on record
20%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
549
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Penasco Mdwca

Penasco Mdwca is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 549 residents in Penasco, New Mexico (Taos County) through 200 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 80 total violations for this system , of which 16 (20%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 36 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2022.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Consumer Confidence Rule, recorded in 16 violations (Other). 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%).

Penasco Mdwca's 80 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
549
Total Violations
80
Health-Based Violations
16
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
200
County
Taos
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
0
Monitoring Violations
36
Treatment Tech Violations
16

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 16 2021
Groundwater Rule TT 16 2018
Lead and Copper Rule MR 12 2022
Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 10 2022
Public Notice Other 8 2020
Revised Total Coliform Rule Other 4 2016
Nitrate-Nitrite MR 2 2006
Fluoride MR 2 1981
Barium MR 1 2005
Cadmium MR 1 2005
Chromium MR 1 2005
Mercury MR 1 2005
Beryllium, Total MR 1 2005
Antimony, Total MR 1 2005
Arsenic MR 1 2005
Nickel MR 1 2005
Thallium, Total MR 1 2005
Selenium MR 1 2005

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 Penasco 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 NM3506729 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
2022 Lead and Copper Rule MR 12 SDWIS / NM3506729 / 5000
2022 Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 10 SDWIS / NM3506729 / 8000
2021 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 16 SDWIS / NM3506729 / 7000
2020 Public Notice Other 8 SDWIS / NM3506729 / 7500
2018 Groundwater Rule TT 16 SDWIS / NM3506729 / 0700
2016 Revised Total Coliform Rule Other 4 SDWIS / NM3506729 / 8000
2006 Nitrate-Nitrite MR 2 SDWIS / NM3506729 / 1038
2005 Barium MR 1 SDWIS / NM3506729 / 1010
2005 Cadmium MR 1 SDWIS / NM3506729 / 1015
2005 Chromium MR 1 SDWIS / NM3506729 / 1020
2005 Mercury MR 1 SDWIS / NM3506729 / 1035
2005 Beryllium, Total MR 1 SDWIS / NM3506729 / 1075
2005 Antimony, Total MR 1 SDWIS / NM3506729 / 1074
2005 Arsenic MR 1 SDWIS / NM3506729 / 1005
2005 Nickel MR 1 SDWIS / NM3506729 / 1036

How Penasco Mdwca Compares

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

Metric Penasco Mdwca New Mexico avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 80 149 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 16 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 549 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 Penasco Mdwca water safe to drink? ▼
Penasco Mdwca (PWS ID: NM3506729) has 80 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 549 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Penasco Mdwca serve? ▼
Penasco Mdwca serves 549 people in Penasco, New Mexico. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 200 service connections.
What type of violations does Penasco Mdwca have? ▼
Penasco Mdwca has 80 total violations: 16 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 36 monitoring/reporting violations, and 16 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Penasco Mdwca water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Penasco Mdwca under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Penasco Mdwca use? ▼
Penasco 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.