Water System Report NM

Alto Lakes Water and Sanitation District

EPA ID: NM3558514 ยท 2,870 people served ยท 4 ZIP codes

ZipCheckup's reading of EPA records for Alto Lakes Water and Sanitation District (NM3558514): no drinking-water violations recorded since 2021. Within the EPA records available for it, Alto Lakes Water and Sanitation District shows no violations; the system serves about 2,870 people.

Data: EPA SDWIS

B ยท 75
Avg Safety Score
2,870
People Served
4
ZIP Codes Served
0
Violations (since 2021)
Groundwater
Water Source
0.0061 mg/L
Most recent lead 90th percentile on record (monitoring period ending 2024-12-31)
Zone 2
County Radon Potential ยท Moderate
0
Contaminants Flagged

Service Area Map

Coverage area for Alto Lakes Water and Sanitation District Source: EPA SDWIS service area boundaries.

Service area boundary - average Home Safety grade of mapped ZIPs: B

Demographics of ZIP Codes Served

$51,008
Median Household Income
14,129
Population of ZIP Codes Served (Census)
60%
Disadvantaged Population
70th
Poverty Percentile
90th
Energy Burden Percentile
57%
Pre-1986 Housing

The ZIP codes associated with Alto Lakes Water and Sanitation District have a median household income of $51,008 and about 14,129 residents live in those ZIP codes (Census; not the number of people this system supplies). Approximately 57% of housing stock was built before 1986, which increases the likelihood of lead service lines and older plumbing.

Environmental Justice Note: On average, 60% of census tracts in the counties mapped to this service area are designated disadvantaged by the federal Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST, 2022 version). Communities with higher disadvantaged populations often face disproportionate environmental and health burdens, including aging water infrastructure and limited resources for remediation.

๐Ÿ’ง Where Does Your Water Come From?

Groundwater

Alto Lakes Water and Sanitation District's water is classified in EPA records as a groundwater source. Groundwater is naturally filtered through rock and soil, but it can be vulnerable to PFAS contamination, nitrates from agriculture, and industrial chemicals that seep into the water table.

Moderate Risk
Source Contamination Risk
20th
Wastewater Discharge Proximity
30th
Superfund Site Proximity

Infrastructure Risk

43 yr
Estimated pipe age (modeled from housing age)
Copper
Likely pipe material (modeled)
26 yr
Est. Remaining Life
Stable
Decay Status
Installed 62% of expected lifespan used (estimate) End of life

PFAS in ZIP Codes This System Serves

PFAS ("forever chemicals") have been reported in samples from water systems associated with the ZIP codes in this system's area. These results can come from other water systems serving the same ZIP codes; check the UCMR5 section for any results reported for this system. 1 detection recorded.

Health concern: Exposure to certain PFAS has been associated with some cancers and with immune and developmental effects; effects differ by compound. Many PFAS break down very slowly in the environment.
Recommended filter: An activated carbon filter certified under NSF/ANSI 53 or a reverse osmosis system certified under NSF/ANSI 58 for the PFAS listed in its certification. Find the right filter โ†’

Comparable Water Systems

Similar-sized systems in New Mexico

Moriarty Water System
2,825 people
10 violations
0 violations
5 violations
Garfield Mdwca
2,504 people
2 violations
43 violations

Estimated Remediation Costs

Average estimated costs across ZIP codes served by this system

Water Filtration PFAS Treatment
Water Filtration $450
PFAS Treatment $125
Total Estimated Cost $575

Based on national averages for common remediation projects. Actual costs vary by property. Only issues flagged by EPA, FEMA, or state data for each ZIP code are included.

Cost of Inaction

Illustrative per-household cost scenario based on stated assumptions:

PFAS Exposure - Lifetime Cost $1,000

Per person (emerging research est.)

Estimated Cumulative Cost Per Household

5 years
$165
10 years
$330
20 years
$660

Compare: Estimated remediation cost is $575 (one-time) vs. $330 in estimated inaction costs over 10 years.

Individual costs vary by household size, property, and health factors. These estimates are for awareness, not financial advice.

System Overview

Alto Lakes Water and Sanitation District (EPA ID: NM3558514) is a community water system in New Mexico that serves approximately 2,870 people from groundwater sources.

This system provides water to 4 ZIP codes across 4 communities.

ZIP-Area Home Safety Context: B (75/100)

This is the average Home Safety Score for 1 of 4 service-area ZIP codes with all required score domains observed. It is not a grade for the water utility.

Model 4.0.0 uses SDWIS identity plus accepted ECHO SDWA lifecycle-based water compliance, the UCMR 5 PFAS MCL screen, EPA radon zone, and annual EPA AirData AQI across three equally weighted domains. Missing required evidence suppresses the score.

Violation History

No accepted violation records in the 2021-2026 window - The accepted EPA ECHO 2026Q2 snapshot contains zero violation records for this system whose record year falls from 2021 through 2026, inclusive. This is not a tap-water safety guarantee.

Lead & Copper

EPA Lead and Copper Rule evidence attributed directly to this water system:

Lead Level Exceeds Action Level Sample Date
0.0061 mg/L No 2024-12-31

No copper action-level exceedance record appears for this PWSID in the accepted LCR snapshot. This does not establish a clean copper measurement.

Radon Risk in Service Area

4 of 4 ZIP records with known zones are in EPA Radon Zone 2.

The EPA recommends testing all homes regardless of radon zone. County radon zones cannot replace an in-home radon test.

ZIP Codes Served

Coverage: Service area ZIP codes sourced from EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3 (March 2026 release). These ZIPs reflect the actual deployment footprint recorded by NM or modeled from parcel and building-footprint data.

Data Sources

This report uses public data from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS). View available EPA compliance records for Alto Lakes Water and Sanitation District (NM3558514) on EPA.gov.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Alto Lakes Water and Sanitation District water safe to drink?

The accepted 2026Q2 ECHO snapshot contains zero violation records for Alto Lakes Water and Sanitation District in the inclusive 2021-2026 record-year window. This is a compliance-record finding, not a guarantee about water at a specific tap.

How many people does Alto Lakes Water and Sanitation District serve?

Alto Lakes Water and Sanitation District serves approximately 2,870 people across 4 ZIP codes in New Mexico.

Where does Alto Lakes Water and Sanitation District get its water?

The primary water source is groundwater.

Federal UCMR5 PFAS Monitoring: No PFAS Reported Above Reporting Levels

This water system was tested under the federal EPA Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR5). No PFAS compounds were reported above UCMR5 minimum reporting levels.

Samples collected
58

EPA's April 2024 PFAS rule sets MCLs of 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS and 10 ppt for PFHxS, PFNA and HFPO-DA (GenX); water systems must comply from 2029. Other PFAS compounds have no individual federal MCL. A state standard is shown only where this system's state has its own enforceable PFAS limit. Detection results are EPA UCMR5 samples, not a measurement at your tap.

Source: U.S. EPA UCMR5 (Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, 5th cycle) โ€” per-system federal sampling, 2023โ€“2025. EPA UCMR5 monitoring program โ†’

Understand PFAS health context and filtration โ†’

Frequently Asked Questions

Is water from Alto Lakes Water and Sanitation District safe to drink? ▼
Alto Lakes Water and Sanitation District has 0 recorded violations since 2021. The B shown is a ZIP-area score, not a grade for this utility; see the violation table for what was violated.
Should I use a water filter? ▼
No EPA drinking-water violations since 2021 are on record for Alto Lakes Water and Sanitation District; this page does not establish contaminant levels at your tap. That is a compliance record, not a guarantee about the water at your tap; a certified filter can target a specific contaminant you are concerned about.
How many people does Alto Lakes Water and Sanitation District serve? ▼
Alto Lakes Water and Sanitation District serves approximately 2,870 people with drinking water across 4 ZIP codes.
What is Alto Lakes Water and Sanitation District's water source? ▼
Alto Lakes Water and Sanitation District draws water from groundwater sources. Source type affects which contaminants are most likely to be present.
Is there lead in Alto Lakes Water and Sanitation District's water? ▼
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result on record is 0.0061 mg/L (sample period ending 2024-12-31). This is at or below the EPA lead action level, which triggers system action and is not a safe level; the EPA health goal for lead is zero.
What is the demographic profile of the ZIP codes associated with Alto Lakes Water and Sanitation District? ▼
The ZIP codes mapped to Alto Lakes Water and Sanitation District have a median household income of $51,008 (Census ZIP-code estimate). In CEJST data, 60% of census tracts in the counties mapped to this area are designated disadvantaged (average across mapped ZIP codes), which may indicate greater vulnerability to environmental health risks.
Where does Alto Lakes Water and Sanitation District get its water? ▼
Alto Lakes Water and Sanitation District's water is classified in EPA records as a groundwater source. Groundwater is naturally filtered through rock and soil, but it can be vulnerable to PFAS contamination, nitrates from agriculture, and industrial chemicals that seep into the water table. Based on the available data, the modeled source-contamination category is moderate; test local water to assess actual exposure.

How to cite this page

APA ZipCheckup. (n.d.). Alto Lakes Water and Sanitation District Water Report, NM. https://zipcheckup.com/water-system/nm3558514/
BibTeX
@misc{zipcheckup-water-system-nm3558514,
  author = {{ZipCheckup}},
  title  = {{Alto Lakes Water and Sanitation District Water Report, NM}},
  year   = {n.d.},
  url    = {https://zipcheckup.com/water-system/nm3558514/}
}
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