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States → New Mexico

Community Water System · PWS NM3580202

Quemado Lake Water Association

Quemado, New Mexico 87829 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 344 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

344
People served
92
EPA violations
10
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 92 drinking-water violations at Quemado Lake Water Association, 11% of them health-based - below the New Mexico per-system average.

92
Total EPA violations on record
11%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
344
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Quemado Lake Water Association

Quemado Lake Water Association is a private-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 344 residents in Quemado, New Mexico (Catron County) through 160 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 92 total violations for this system , of which 10 (11%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 66 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 Coliform (TCR), recorded in 32 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%).

Quemado Lake Water Association's 92 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
344
Total Violations
92
Health-Based Violations
10
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Private
Connections
160
County
Catron
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
10
Monitoring Violations
66
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Coliform (TCR) MR 32 2014
Coliform (TCR) MCL 10 1998
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 8 2014
Chlorine MR 8 2021
Lead and Copper Rule MR 7 2007
TTHM MR 6 2014
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 6 2021
Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 5 2021
Coliform (TCR) Other 4 2002
Public Notice Other 3 2022

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 Quemado Lake Water Association.

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 NM3580202 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 Public Notice Other 3 SDWIS / NM3580202 / 7500
2021 Chlorine MR 8 SDWIS / NM3580202 / 0999
2021 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 6 SDWIS / NM3580202 / 7000
2021 Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 5 SDWIS / NM3580202 / 8000
2014 Coliform (TCR) MR 32 SDWIS / NM3580202 / 3100
2014 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 8 SDWIS / NM3580202 / 2456
2014 TTHM MR 6 SDWIS / NM3580202 / 2950
2007 Lead and Copper Rule MR 7 SDWIS / NM3580202 / 5000
2002 Coliform (TCR) Other 4 SDWIS / NM3580202 / 3100
1998 Coliform (TCR) MCL 10 SDWIS / NM3580202 / 3100

How Quemado Lake Water Association Compares

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

Metric Quemado Lake Water Association New Mexico avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 92 149 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 10 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 344 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 Quemado Lake Water Association water safe to drink? ▼
Quemado Lake Water Association (PWS ID: NM3580202) has 92 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 344 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Quemado Lake Water Association serve? ▼
Quemado Lake Water Association serves 344 people in Quemado, New Mexico. It is a Private-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 160 service connections.
What type of violations does Quemado Lake Water Association have? ▼
Quemado Lake Water Association has 92 total violations: 10 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 66 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Quemado Lake Water Association water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Quemado Lake Water Association under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Quemado Lake Water Association use? ▼
Quemado Lake Water Association 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.