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States → New Mexico

Non-Transient Non-Community Water System · PWS NM3591021

Escalante High School

Tierra Amarilla, New Mexico 87575 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 225 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

225
People served
106
EPA violations
34
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 106 drinking-water violations at Escalante High School, 32% of them health-based - below the New Mexico per-system average.

106
Total EPA violations on record
32%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
225
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Escalante High School

Escalante High School is a state-owned non-transient non-community water system that delivers drinking water to 225 residents in Tierra Amarilla, New Mexico (Rio Arriba County) through 8 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 106 total violations for this system , of which 34 (32%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 60 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 30 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%).

Escalante High School's 106 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
225
Total Violations
106
Health-Based Violations
34
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Non-Transient Non-Community
Owner Type
State
Connections
8
County
Rio Arriba
School/Daycare
Yes
MCL Violations
4
Monitoring Violations
60
Treatment Tech Violations
30

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Groundwater Rule TT 30 2024
Coliform (TCR) MR 18 2015
TTHM MR 17 2018
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 17 2018
Lead and Copper Rule MR 6 2013
Public Notice Other 5 2021
Coliform (TCR) MCL 4 1998
Coliform (TCR) Other 2 1993
Chlorine MR 2 2015

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 Escalante High 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 NM3591021 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 30 SDWIS / NM3591021 / 0700
2021 Public Notice Other 5 SDWIS / NM3591021 / 7500
2018 TTHM MR 17 SDWIS / NM3591021 / 2950
2018 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 17 SDWIS / NM3591021 / 2456
2015 Coliform (TCR) MR 18 SDWIS / NM3591021 / 3100
2015 Chlorine MR 2 SDWIS / NM3591021 / 0999
2013 Lead and Copper Rule MR 6 SDWIS / NM3591021 / 5000
1998 Coliform (TCR) MCL 4 SDWIS / NM3591021 / 3100
1993 Coliform (TCR) Other 2 SDWIS / NM3591021 / 3100

How Escalante High School Compares

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

Metric Escalante High School New Mexico avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 106 149 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 34 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 225 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 Escalante High School water safe to drink? ▼
Escalante High School (PWS ID: NM3591021) has 106 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 225 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Escalante High School serve? ▼
Escalante High School serves 225 people in Tierra Amarilla, New Mexico. It is a State-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 8 service connections.
What type of violations does Escalante High School have? ▼
Escalante High School has 106 total violations: 34 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 60 monitoring/reporting violations, and 30 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Escalante High School water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Escalante High School under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Escalante High School use? ▼
Escalante High 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.