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States → New Mexico

Transient Non-Community Water System · PWS NM3592729

Sipapu Lodge and Cafe

Vadito, New Mexico 87579 - drinking water served from surface water sources to 250 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

250
People served
146
EPA violations
5
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 146 drinking-water violations at Sipapu Lodge and Cafe, 3% of them health-based - below the New Mexico per-system average.

146
Total EPA violations on record
3%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
250
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Sipapu Lodge and Cafe

Sipapu Lodge and Cafe is a private-owned transient non-community water system that delivers drinking water to 250 residents in Vadito, New Mexico (Taos County) through 20 service connections. Its water is drawn from surface water sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 146 total violations for this system , of which 5 (3%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 136 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2021.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Surface Water Treatment Rule, recorded in 63 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%).

Sipapu Lodge and Cafe'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
250
Total Violations
146
Health-Based Violations
5
Water Source
Surface Water

System Details

System Type
Transient Non-Community
Owner Type
Private
Connections
20
County
Taos
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
0
Monitoring Violations
136
Treatment Tech Violations
5

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Surface Water Treatment Rule MR 63 2021
Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule MR 60 2020
Coliform (TCR) MR 11 2004
Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 3 2015
Nitrate MR 2 1981
Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 2 2010
Public Notice Other 1 2015
Coliform (TCR) Other 1 1994

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 Sipapu Lodge and Cafe.

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 NM3592729 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
2021 Surface Water Treatment Rule MR 63 SDWIS / NM3592729 / 0200
2020 Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule MR 60 SDWIS / NM3592729 / 0300
2015 Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 3 SDWIS / NM3592729 / 0200
2015 Public Notice Other 1 SDWIS / NM3592729 / 7500
2010 Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 2 SDWIS / NM3592729 / 0800
2004 Coliform (TCR) MR 11 SDWIS / NM3592729 / 3100
1994 Coliform (TCR) Other 1 SDWIS / NM3592729 / 3100
1981 Nitrate MR 2 SDWIS / NM3592729 / 1040

How Sipapu Lodge and Cafe Compares

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

Metric Sipapu Lodge and Cafe New Mexico avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 146 149 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 5 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 250 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 Sipapu Lodge and Cafe water safe to drink? ▼
Sipapu Lodge and Cafe (PWS ID: NM3592729) has 146 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 250 people using Surface Water sources.
How many people does Sipapu Lodge and Cafe serve? ▼
Sipapu Lodge and Cafe serves 250 people in Vadito, New Mexico. It is a Private-owned system using Surface Water water sources with 20 service connections.
What type of violations does Sipapu Lodge and Cafe have? ▼
Sipapu Lodge and Cafe has 146 total violations: 5 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 136 monitoring/reporting violations, and 5 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Sipapu Lodge and Cafe water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Sipapu Lodge and Cafe under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Sipapu Lodge and Cafe use? ▼
Sipapu Lodge and Cafe uses Surface Water 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.

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.