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States → New Mexico

Community Water System · PWS NM3537526

La Cienega Mdwca

Santa Fe, New Mexico 87592 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 321 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

321
People served
109
EPA violations
36
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 109 drinking-water violations at La Cienega Mdwca, 33% of them health-based - below the New Mexico per-system average.

109
Total EPA violations on record
33%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
321
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: La Cienega Mdwca

La Cienega Mdwca is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 321 residents in Santa Fe, New Mexico (Santa Fe County) through 138 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 109 total violations for this system , of which 36 (33%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 41 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 Groundwater Rule, recorded in 25 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%).

La Cienega Mdwca's 109 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
321
Total Violations
109
Health-Based Violations
36
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
138
County
Santa Fe
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
11
Monitoring Violations
41
Treatment Tech Violations
25

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Groundwater Rule TT 25 2015
Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 16 2016
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 15 2010
Coliform (TCR) MCL 11 2008
Lead and Copper Rule MR 7 2022
Public Notice Other 5 2020
Coliform (TCR) MR 4 2007
Asbestos MR 3 2011
Chlorine MR 3 2016
Barium MR 1 1980
Nitrate MR 1 1980
Cadmium MR 1 1980
Fluoride MR 1 1984
Selenium MR 1 1980
Arsenic MR 1 1980
Mercury MR 1 1980
Chromium MR 1 1980

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 La Cienega 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 NM3537526 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 7 SDWIS / NM3537526 / 5000
2020 Public Notice Other 5 SDWIS / NM3537526 / 7500
2016 Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 16 SDWIS / NM3537526 / 8000
2016 Chlorine MR 3 SDWIS / NM3537526 / 0999
2015 Groundwater Rule TT 25 SDWIS / NM3537526 / 0700
2011 Asbestos MR 3 SDWIS / NM3537526 / 1094
2010 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 15 SDWIS / NM3537526 / 7000
2008 Coliform (TCR) MCL 11 SDWIS / NM3537526 / 3100
2007 Coliform (TCR) MR 4 SDWIS / NM3537526 / 3100
1984 Fluoride MR 1 SDWIS / NM3537526 / 1025
1980 Barium MR 1 SDWIS / NM3537526 / 1010
1980 Nitrate MR 1 SDWIS / NM3537526 / 1040
1980 Cadmium MR 1 SDWIS / NM3537526 / 1015
1980 Selenium MR 1 SDWIS / NM3537526 / 1045
1980 Arsenic MR 1 SDWIS / NM3537526 / 1005

How La Cienega Mdwca Compares

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

Metric La Cienega Mdwca New Mexico avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 109 149 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 36 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 321 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 La Cienega Mdwca water safe to drink? ▼
La Cienega Mdwca (PWS ID: NM3537526) has 109 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 321 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does La Cienega Mdwca serve? ▼
La Cienega Mdwca serves 321 people in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 138 service connections.
What type of violations does La Cienega Mdwca have? ▼
La Cienega Mdwca has 109 total violations: 36 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 41 monitoring/reporting violations, and 25 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in La Cienega Mdwca water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for La Cienega Mdwca under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does La Cienega Mdwca use? ▼
La Cienega 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.