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States → New Mexico

Non-Transient Non-Community Water System · PWS NM3590009

Cliff School

Cliff, New Mexico 88028 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 300 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

300
People served
154
EPA violations
46
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 154 drinking-water violations at Cliff School, 30% of them health-based - above the New Mexico per-system average.

154
Total EPA violations on record
30%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
300
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Cliff School

Cliff School is a local-owned non-transient non-community water system that delivers drinking water to 300 residents in Cliff, New Mexico (Grant County) through 9 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 154 total violations for this system , of which 46 (30%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 88 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 17 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%).

Cliff School's 154 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
300
Total Violations
154
Health-Based Violations
46
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Non-Transient Non-Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
9
County
Grant
School/Daycare
Yes
MCL Violations
27
Monitoring Violations
88
Treatment Tech Violations
19

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Groundwater Rule TT 17 2024
Fluoride MCL 13 2007
Coliform (TCR) MR 13 2011
Nitrate-Nitrite MR 12 2012
Arsenic MCL 9 2007
Public Notice Other 9 2024
E. COLI MR 7 2019
Coliform (TCR) MCL 5 1993
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 4 2014
Asbestos MR 4 2020
TTHM MR 4 2014
Lead and Copper Rule MR 2 2006
LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS TT 2 2024
cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 2 2012
Xylenes, Total MR 2 2012
o-Dichlorobenzene MR 2 2012
p-Dichlorobenzene MR 2 2012
trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 2 2012
1,2-Dichloroethane MR 2 2012
Carbon tetrachloride MR 2 2012
1,2-Dichloropropane MR 2 2012
Trichloroethylene MR 2 2012
Tetrachloroethylene MR 2 2012
CHLOROBENZENE MR 2 2012
Benzene MR 2 2012
Toluene MR 2 2012
Ethylbenzene MR 2 2012
Styrene MR 2 2012
LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS RPT 2 2024
DICHLOROMETHANE 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 Cliff School.

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 NM3590009 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 Groundwater Rule TT 17 SDWIS / NM3590009 / 0700
2024 Public Notice Other 9 SDWIS / NM3590009 / 7500
2024 LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS TT 2 SDWIS / NM3590009 / 5200
2024 LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS RPT 2 SDWIS / NM3590009 / 5200
2020 Asbestos MR 4 SDWIS / NM3590009 / 1094
2019 E. COLI MR 7 SDWIS / NM3590009 / 3014
2014 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 4 SDWIS / NM3590009 / 2456
2014 TTHM MR 4 SDWIS / NM3590009 / 2950
2012 Nitrate-Nitrite MR 12 SDWIS / NM3590009 / 1038
2012 cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 2 SDWIS / NM3590009 / 2380
2012 Xylenes, Total MR 2 SDWIS / NM3590009 / 2955
2012 o-Dichlorobenzene MR 2 SDWIS / NM3590009 / 2968
2012 p-Dichlorobenzene MR 2 SDWIS / NM3590009 / 2969
2012 trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 2 SDWIS / NM3590009 / 2979
2012 1,2-Dichloroethane MR 2 SDWIS / NM3590009 / 2980

How Cliff School Compares

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

Metric Cliff School New Mexico avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 154 149 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 46 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 300 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 Cliff School water safe to drink? ▼
Cliff School (PWS ID: NM3590009) has 154 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 300 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Cliff School serve? ▼
Cliff School serves 300 people in Cliff, New Mexico. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 9 service connections.
What type of violations does Cliff School have? ▼
Cliff School has 154 total violations: 46 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 88 monitoring/reporting violations, and 19 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Cliff School water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Cliff School under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Cliff School use? ▼
Cliff School uses Groundwater as its primary water source. It is classified as a Non-Transient Non-Community Water System, serving the same people for at least 6 months per year.
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.