PlainWater

Transient Non-Community Water System · PWS NM3583529

Fort Burgwin Research Center

Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico 87557 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 138 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

138
People served
70
EPA violations
9
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 70 drinking-water violations at Fort Burgwin Research Center, 13% of them health-based - below the New Mexico per-system average.

70
Total EPA violations on record
13%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
138
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Fort Burgwin Research Center

Fort Burgwin Research Center is a private-owned transient non-community water system that delivers drinking water to 138 residents in Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico (Taos County) through 23 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 70 total violations for this system , of which 9 (13%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 44 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2018.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Revised Total Coliform Rule, recorded in 36 violations (MON). 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%).

Fort Burgwin Research Center's 70 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
138
Total Violations
70
Health-Based Violations
9
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Transient Non-Community
Owner Type
Private
Connections
23
County
Taos
School/Daycare
Yes
MCL Violations
9
Monitoring Violations
44
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 36 2017
Public Notice Other 11 2018
Coliform (TCR) MCL 9 1999
Coliform (TCR) MR 8 2007
Revised Total Coliform Rule Other 3 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 Fort Burgwin Research Center.

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 NM3583529 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
2018 Public Notice Other 11 SDWIS / NM3583529 / 7500
2017 Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 36 SDWIS / NM3583529 / 8000
2016 Revised Total Coliform Rule Other 3 SDWIS / NM3583529 / 8000
2007 Coliform (TCR) MR 8 SDWIS / NM3583529 / 3100
1999 Coliform (TCR) MCL 9 SDWIS / NM3583529 / 3100

How Fort Burgwin Research Center Compares

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

Metric Fort Burgwin Research Center New Mexico avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 70 149 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 9 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 138 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 Fort Burgwin Research Center water safe to drink?
Fort Burgwin Research Center (PWS ID: NM3583529) has 70 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 138 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Fort Burgwin Research Center serve?
Fort Burgwin Research Center serves 138 people in Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico. It is a Private-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 23 service connections.
What type of violations does Fort Burgwin Research Center have?
Fort Burgwin Research Center has 70 total violations: 9 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 44 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Fort Burgwin Research Center water?
No PFAS testing data is available for Fort Burgwin Research Center under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Fort Burgwin Research Center use?
Fort Burgwin Research Center uses Groundwater as its primary water source. It is classified as a Transient Non-Community Water System, serving transient populations.
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.
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.