Is Kirtland AFB, NM tap water safe?
The short answer
Neither of the 2 utilities serving Kirtland AFB has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and New Mexico’s records.
Albuquerque Water System, which serves the most people here, has 2 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 71.4 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.
A town can be served by more than one utility, and some homes are on private wells. The name on your water bill tells you which is yours, and your ZIP code narrows it down. They are listed by how many people each serves in Kirtland AFB’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Albuquerque Water System
New Mexico · serves 560,326 people · about 3,100 in Kirtland AFB
2 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 71.4 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Kirtland Air Force Base
New Mexico · serves 22,500 people · about 1,200 in Kirtland AFB
3 results above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 21.2 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Hardness: moderately hard, 120 mg/L (7 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
What handles it
Each of these is certified, on a certifier’s listing, for a result above a line in Albuquerque Water System’s water, which serves the most people here. Another utility’s report names what handles its own results.
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Countertop reverse osmosis
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
Certified for: Arsenic
Aquasana SmartFlow Reverse Osmosis (AQ-SFRO2)
Under-sink reverse osmosis
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Arsenic
Brondell Capella RC250 Reverse Osmosis System
Under-sink reverse osmosis
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Arsenic
Water testing near Kirtland AFB
The 3 labs New Mexico certifies closest to Kirtland AFB, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
ABCWUA Water Quality Lab
Albuquerque, NM · about 6 miles
Certified for bacteria, lead and copper
Environmental Testing Services Co., Inc.
Albuquerque, NM · about 6 miles
Certified for bacteria
Eurofins Environmental Testing South Central
Albuquerque, NM · about 6 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts, PFAS, radioactivity, asbestos
New Mexico Environment Department: Water fairs in New Mexico communities, where well owners bring in a quart of well water to be tested for arsenic, nitrate, fluoride, iron, sulfate, pH and conductivity, with results mailed in two to four weeks. Dates are on the department's calendar. Water Fairs, New Mexico Environment Department.
All 44 certified labs for New MexicoZIP codes in Kirtland AFB
Which ZIP codes are in Kirtland AFB: Census 2020 relationship files. Which utilities serve them, and how many people: EPA SDWIS and EPA’s service area map. Each utility’s results: EPA UCMR 5, EPA SDWIS, and EPA’s and the state’s compliance monitoring, as its report lists them. How they are measured: methodology. Certified labs: New Mexico Environment Department, Drinking Water Bureau, laboratories certified to analyze drinking water samples; distances from the Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation area gazetteer.
Near Kirtland AFB
Other towns in Bernalillo County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Albuquerque Water System’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- About LithiumWhat it does to health, where it comes from, and the certification claim that addresses it.About Lithium
- On a private well?No utility tests a well. A certified lab test is the first step.How to test well water