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Community Water System · PWS NM3546930

Indian Hills Water System

Elephant Butte, New Mexico 87935 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 715 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

715
People served
169
EPA violations
26
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 169 drinking-water violations at Indian Hills Water System, 15% of them health-based - above the New Mexico per-system average.

169
Total EPA violations on record
15%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
715
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Indian Hills Water System

Indian Hills Water System is a private-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 715 residents in Elephant Butte, New Mexico (Torrance County) through 271 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 169 total violations for this system , of which 26 (15%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 80 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2021.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Coliform (TCR), recorded in 36 violations (MR). 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%).

Indian Hills Water System's 169 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
715
Total Violations
169
Health-Based Violations
26
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Private
Connections
271
County
Torrance
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
26
Monitoring Violations
80
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Coliform (TCR) MR 36 2007
Chlorine MR 34 2021
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 27 2010
Coliform (TCR) MCL 26 2001
Public Notice Other 12 2013
Coliform (TCR) Other 10 2002
Lead and Copper Rule MR 6 2011
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 4 1988

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 Indian Hills Water System.

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 NM3546930 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
2021 Chlorine MR 34 SDWIS / NM3546930 / 0999
2013 Public Notice Other 12 SDWIS / NM3546930 / 7500
2011 Lead and Copper Rule MR 6 SDWIS / NM3546930 / 5000
2010 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 27 SDWIS / NM3546930 / 7000
2007 Coliform (TCR) MR 36 SDWIS / NM3546930 / 3100
2002 Coliform (TCR) Other 10 SDWIS / NM3546930 / 3100
2001 Coliform (TCR) MCL 26 SDWIS / NM3546930 / 3100
1988 Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 4 SDWIS / NM3546930 / 4000

How Indian Hills Water System Compares

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

Metric Indian Hills Water System New Mexico avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 169 149 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 26 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 715 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 Indian Hills Water System water safe to drink? ▼
Indian Hills Water System (PWS ID: NM3546930) has 169 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 715 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Indian Hills Water System serve? ▼
Indian Hills Water System serves 715 people in Elephant Butte, New Mexico. It is a Private-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 271 service connections.
What type of violations does Indian Hills Water System have? ▼
Indian Hills Water System has 169 total violations: 26 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 80 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Indian Hills Water System water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Indian Hills Water System under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Indian Hills Water System use? ▼
Indian Hills Water System 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.