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NATIONAL SOLAR OBSERVATORY

PWS ID: NM3564119 · SUNSPOT, New Mexico 88349

NATIONAL SOLAR OBSERVATORY serves 26 people in SUNSPOT, New Mexico using Groundwater water sources. It has 793 recorded EPA violations, including 11 health-based violations. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing.

Water Quality Snapshot: NATIONAL SOLAR OBSERVATORY

NATIONAL SOLAR OBSERVATORY is a federal-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 26 residents in SUNSPOT, New Mexico (Otero County) through 10 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 793 total violations for this system , of which 11 (1%) are health-based — meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 690 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 Public Notice, recorded in 75 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. NATIONAL SOLAR OBSERVATORY's 793 violations sit above the New Mexico average. Statewide, 70 of 72 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (97.2%). 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
26
Total Violations
793
Health-Based Violations
11
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Federal
Connections
10
County
Otero
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
8
Monitoring Violations
690
Treatment Tech Violations
3

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Public Notice Other 75 2025
Nitrate-Nitrite MR 32 2022
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 24 2010
TTHM MR 24 2010
Coliform (TCR) MR 13 2014
CYANIDE MR 12 2020
Fluoride MR 12 2020
BHC-GAMMA MR 12 2020
Methoxychlor MR 12 2020
Dalapon MR 12 2020
Diquat MR 12 2020
Endothall MR 12 2020
Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate MR 12 2020
OXAMYL MR 12 2020
Simazine MR 12 2020
Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate MR 12 2020
Picloram MR 12 2020
Dinoseb MR 12 2020
Hexachlorocyclopentadiene MR 12 2020
Carbofuran MR 12 2020
Atrazine MR 12 2020
LASSO MR 12 2020
Heptachlor epoxide MR 12 2020
2,4-D MR 12 2020
HEXACHLOROBENZENE MR 12 2020
Benzo(a)pyrene MR 12 2020
Pentachlorophenol MR 12 2020
ETHYLENE DIBROMIDE MR 12 2020
Chlordane MR 12 2020
Endrin MR 12 2020

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 NATIONAL SOLAR OBSERVATORY.

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 NM3564119 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 Public Notice Other 75 SDWIS / NM3564119 / 7500
2024 LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS RPT 3 SDWIS / NM3564119 / 5200
2024 LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS TT 3 SDWIS / NM3564119 / 5200
2023 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 11 SDWIS / NM3564119 / 7000
2022 Nitrate-Nitrite MR 32 SDWIS / NM3564119 / 1038
2022 Lead and Copper Rule MR 7 SDWIS / NM3564119 / 5000
2021 Chlorine MR 8 SDWIS / NM3564119 / 0999
2021 Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 4 SDWIS / NM3564119 / 8000
2020 CYANIDE MR 12 SDWIS / NM3564119 / 1024
2020 Fluoride MR 12 SDWIS / NM3564119 / 1025
2020 BHC-GAMMA MR 12 SDWIS / NM3564119 / 2010
2020 Methoxychlor MR 12 SDWIS / NM3564119 / 2015
2020 Dalapon MR 12 SDWIS / NM3564119 / 2031
2020 Diquat MR 12 SDWIS / NM3564119 / 2032
2020 Endothall MR 12 SDWIS / NM3564119 / 2033

How NATIONAL SOLAR OBSERVATORY Compares

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

Metric NATIONAL SOLAR OBSERVATORY New Mexico avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 793 149 SDWA compliance — any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 11 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 26 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
Nitrate (as N) 10 mg/L Acute health risk for infants

Frequently Asked Questions

Is NATIONAL SOLAR OBSERVATORY water safe to drink? ▼
NATIONAL SOLAR OBSERVATORY (PWS ID: NM3564119) has 793 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 26 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does NATIONAL SOLAR OBSERVATORY serve? ▼
NATIONAL SOLAR OBSERVATORY serves 26 people in SUNSPOT, New Mexico. It is a Federal-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 10 service connections.
What type of violations does NATIONAL SOLAR OBSERVATORY have? ▼
NATIONAL SOLAR OBSERVATORY has 793 total violations: 11 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 690 monitoring/reporting violations, and 3 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in NATIONAL SOLAR OBSERVATORY water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for NATIONAL SOLAR OBSERVATORY under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does NATIONAL SOLAR OBSERVATORY use? ▼
NATIONAL SOLAR OBSERVATORY 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.

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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.

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