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Community Water System · PWS NM3574229

Cerro Regional Mdwca/Swa

Cerro, New Mexico 87519 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 232 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

232
People served
146
EPA violations
64
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 146 drinking-water violations at Cerro Regional Mdwca/Swa, 44% of them health-based - below the New Mexico per-system average.

146
Total EPA violations on record
44%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
232
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Cerro Regional Mdwca/Swa

Cerro Regional Mdwca/Swa is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 232 residents in Cerro, New Mexico (Taos County) through 3 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 146 total violations for this system , of which 64 (44%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 46 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2023.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Coliform (TCR), recorded in 33 violations (MCL, 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%).

Cerro Regional Mdwca/Swa's 146 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
232
Total Violations
146
Health-Based Violations
64
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
3
County
Taos
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
33
Monitoring Violations
46
Treatment Tech Violations
31

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Coliform (TCR) MCL 33 2015
Groundwater Rule TT 23 2017
Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 20 2017
Coliform (TCR) MR 18 2009
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 16 2023
Public Notice Other 10 2017
E. COLI MR 8 2018
Revised Total Coliform Rule TT 8 2018
Revised Total Coliform Rule Other 4 2016

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 Cerro Regional Mdwca/Swa.

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 NM3574229 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
2023 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 16 SDWIS / NM3574229 / 7000
2018 E. COLI MR 8 SDWIS / NM3574229 / 3014
2018 Revised Total Coliform Rule TT 8 SDWIS / NM3574229 / 8000
2017 Groundwater Rule TT 23 SDWIS / NM3574229 / 0700
2017 Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 20 SDWIS / NM3574229 / 8000
2017 Public Notice Other 10 SDWIS / NM3574229 / 7500
2016 Revised Total Coliform Rule Other 4 SDWIS / NM3574229 / 8000
2015 Coliform (TCR) MCL 33 SDWIS / NM3574229 / 3100
2009 Coliform (TCR) MR 18 SDWIS / NM3574229 / 3100

How Cerro Regional Mdwca/Swa Compares

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

Metric Cerro Regional Mdwca/Swa New Mexico avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 146 149 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 64 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 232 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 Cerro Regional Mdwca/Swa water safe to drink? ▼
Cerro Regional Mdwca/Swa (PWS ID: NM3574229) has 146 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 232 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Cerro Regional Mdwca/Swa serve? ▼
Cerro Regional Mdwca/Swa serves 232 people in Cerro, New Mexico. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 3 service connections.
What type of violations does Cerro Regional Mdwca/Swa have? ▼
Cerro Regional Mdwca/Swa has 146 total violations: 64 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 46 monitoring/reporting violations, and 31 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Cerro Regional Mdwca/Swa water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Cerro Regional Mdwca/Swa under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Cerro Regional Mdwca/Swa use? ▼
Cerro Regional Mdwca/Swa 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.