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States → New Mexico

Community Water System · PWS NM3556109

Rio de Arenas

Arenas Valley, New Mexico 88022 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 205 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

205
People served
264
EPA violations
135
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 264 drinking-water violations at Rio de Arenas, 51% of them health-based - above the New Mexico per-system average.

264
Total EPA violations on record
51%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
205
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Rio de Arenas

Rio de Arenas is a private-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 205 residents in Arenas Valley, New Mexico (Grant County) through 84 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 264 total violations for this system , of which 135 (51%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 53 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 110 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%).

Rio de Arenas's 264 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
205
Total Violations
264
Health-Based Violations
135
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Private
Connections
84
County
Grant
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
23
Monitoring Violations
53
Treatment Tech Violations
112

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Groundwater Rule TT 110 2019
Public Notice Other 29 2020
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 28 2021
Coliform (TCR) MCL 19 2007
Coliform (TCR) MR 13 2010
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 10 2014
Chlorine MR 9 2018
E. COLI MR 8 2010
TTHM MR 5 2014
Lead and Copper Rule MR 4 2010
Combined Uranium MCL 4 2004
LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS RPT 2 2024
LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS TT 2 2024
Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate MR 2 2011
1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 2 2012

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 Rio de Arenas.

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 NM3556109 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 REVISIONS RPT 2 SDWIS / NM3556109 / 5200
2024 LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS TT 2 SDWIS / NM3556109 / 5200
2021 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 28 SDWIS / NM3556109 / 7000
2020 Public Notice Other 29 SDWIS / NM3556109 / 7500
2019 Groundwater Rule TT 110 SDWIS / NM3556109 / 0700
2018 Chlorine MR 9 SDWIS / NM3556109 / 0999
2014 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 10 SDWIS / NM3556109 / 2456
2014 TTHM MR 5 SDWIS / NM3556109 / 2950
2012 1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 2 SDWIS / NM3556109 / 2981
2011 Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate MR 2 SDWIS / NM3556109 / 2035
2010 Coliform (TCR) MR 13 SDWIS / NM3556109 / 3100
2010 E. COLI MR 8 SDWIS / NM3556109 / 3014
2010 Lead and Copper Rule MR 4 SDWIS / NM3556109 / 5000
2007 Coliform (TCR) MCL 19 SDWIS / NM3556109 / 3100
2004 Combined Uranium MCL 4 SDWIS / NM3556109 / 4006

How Rio de Arenas Compares

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

Metric Rio de Arenas New Mexico avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 264 149 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 135 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 205 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 Rio de Arenas water safe to drink? ▼
Rio de Arenas (PWS ID: NM3556109) has 264 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 205 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Rio de Arenas serve? ▼
Rio de Arenas serves 205 people in Arenas Valley, New Mexico. It is a Private-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 84 service connections.
What type of violations does Rio de Arenas have? ▼
Rio de Arenas has 264 total violations: 135 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 53 monitoring/reporting violations, and 112 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Rio de Arenas water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Rio de Arenas under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Rio de Arenas use? ▼
Rio de Arenas 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.