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Tularosa Water System water quality report, rewritten

Serves
3,485
Connections
1,310
Water source
Surface water
Based in
Tularosa, NM
County
Otero
Owner
Local government
The ZIP code it serves

88352

PWSID NM35140192026 edition · EPA data

Read this first

  • Lithium (above EPA’s health benchmark) was found in four of 4 samples, highest 11.8 ppb. Above EPA’s health reference level of 10 ppb, a screening level rather than an enforceable limit.
  • Lead (above the health goal) In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 1.9 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level. The action level drops to 10 ppb on Nov. 1, 2027. EPA’s health goal for lead is zero.

17 health-based violations since 2016. Details are below.

What handles it

What was found

Highlighted: above the health goal, or EPA’s health benchmark where there is no goal. Circled: above the legal limit in at least one sample, or the action level. Every scale puts that line at its middle.

11.8ppb

Highest of 4 samples; found in four

Above EPA’s health reference level of 10 ppb, a screening level rather than an enforceable limit.

What handles it

No certification claim covers this compound yet.

EPA UCMR 5, samples taken from Feb. 24, 2025 to Nov. 3, 2025. Each blue tick is one sample where it was found.

Lead (above the health goal)

Comes from pipes, often your own

1.9ppb

90th percentile, 2022 to 2024

In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 1.9 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level. The action level drops to 10 ppb on Nov. 1, 2027. EPA’s health goal for lead is zero.

What handles it

EPA SDWIS, lead and copper monitoring periods ending 2004 to 2024. The pointer marks the latest period; each blue tick is an earlier one.

Tested and not found

Below EPA’s minimum reporting level in every sample taken from Feb. 24, 2025 to Nov. 3, 2025. Not found means not measured above that level, which is not the same as zero.

All 29 compounds tested and not found
  • 11Cl-PF3OUdS
  • 4:2 FTS
  • 6:2 FTS
  • 8:2 FTS
  • 9Cl-PF3ONS
  • ADONA
  • HFPO-DA (GenX)
  • NEtFOSAA
  • NFDHA
  • NMeFOSAA
  • PFBA
  • PFBS
  • PFDA
  • PFDoA
  • PFEESA
  • PFHpA
  • PFHpS
  • PFHxA
  • PFHxS
  • PFMBA
  • PFMPA
  • PFNA
  • PFOA
  • PFOS
  • PFPeA
  • PFPeS
  • PFTA
  • PFTrDA
  • PFUnA

Violations since 2016

Contaminant or ruleTypePeriodMeasuredStatus
Groundwater RuleA significant problem found in a state inspection was not fixed on time.EPA: Failure To Address DeficiencyFeb. 26, 2026—Addressed
Groundwater RuleA significant problem found in a state inspection was not fixed on time.EPA: Failure To Address DeficiencyFeb. 26, 2026—Addressed
Groundwater RuleA significant problem found in a state inspection was not fixed on time.EPA: Failure To Address DeficiencyFeb. 26, 2026—Addressed
Groundwater RuleA significant problem found in a state inspection was not fixed on time.EPA: Failure To Address DeficiencyFeb. 26, 2026—Addressed
Groundwater RuleA significant problem found in a state inspection was not fixed on time.EPA: Failure To Address DeficiencyFeb. 26, 2026—Addressed
Groundwater RuleA significant problem found in a state inspection was not fixed on time.EPA: Failure To Address DeficiencyFeb. 26, 2026—Addressed
Groundwater RuleA significant problem found in a state inspection was not fixed on time.EPA: Failure To Address DeficiencyFeb. 26, 2026—Addressed
TTHMThe running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, AverageJan. 1, 2024 to March 31, 20240.085 MG/LResolved
TTHMThe running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, AverageOct. 1, 2023 to Dec. 31, 20230.085 MG/LResolved
TTHMThe running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, AverageJuly 1, 2023 to Sept. 30, 20230.084 MG/LResolved
TTHMThe running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, AverageApril 1, 2023 to June 30, 20230.083 MG/LResolved
Groundwater RuleA significant problem found in a state inspection was not fixed on time.EPA: Failure To Address DeficiencySept. 1, 2018—Resolved
Groundwater RuleA significant problem found in a state inspection was not fixed on time.EPA: Failure To Address DeficiencyApril 2, 2018—Addressed
Groundwater RuleA significant problem found in a state inspection was not fixed on time.EPA: Failure To Address DeficiencyAug. 3, 2016—Resolved
Groundwater RuleA significant problem found in a state inspection was not fixed on time.EPA: Failure To Address DeficiencyAug. 3, 2016—Resolved
Groundwater RuleA significant problem found in a state inspection was not fixed on time.EPA: Failure To Address DeficiencyAug. 3, 2016—Resolved
Groundwater RuleA significant problem found in a state inspection was not fixed on time.EPA: Failure To Address DeficiencyAug. 3, 2016—Resolved
Health-based violations only. Resolved and archived mean the utility returned to compliance or the state closed the record. 167 monitoring or reporting violations not shown.

What handles it

A certification covers specific claims, not a whole standard. Look for these claims on the certifier’s listing, not the box. Wording varies a little: NSF writes “Lead Reduction,” WQA just “Lead.”

At the tap, or for the whole house?

Lead and copper usually come from pipes and fixtures inside or near your home. A whole-house system sits where water enters, so it cannot catch what your own plumbing adds after it. For those, the filter that counts is the one at the tap. How whole-house systems compare.

Compare five-year costs

Filters with those claims on a certifier’s listing

TapBuff earns a commission if you buy through some links on this page. It does not change which standard or filter we name. As an Amazon Associate, TapBuff earns from qualifying purchases. How TapBuff makes money

What this report cannot tell you

  • Levels of everything else. Federal bulk data carries results for PFAS, lithium, lead and copper, and violations for the rest. Nitrate, arsenic, disinfection byproducts and other levels are in Tularosa Water System’s own annual report, which it must send you every year.
  • Your own plumbing. Lead results are the 90th percentile across homes the utility samples. Your home’s service line, solder and fixtures decide yours. A certified lab test is the only way to know.
  • Anything after the latest data. SDWIS data is from 2026 Q2; UCMR 5 samples are from Feb. 24, 2025 to Nov. 3, 2025.

What to do next

  1. Read up on the 2 marked results

    What each one does to health, where it comes from, and the certification claim that addresses it.

    Start with Lithium

  2. Get the utility’s own report

    Tularosa Water System must send you a water quality report every year. It lists nitrate, arsenic and byproduct levels this page cannot.

    How to read it

  3. Test your own tap for lead

    Your service line, solder and fixtures decide the lead at your faucet, not the utility’s average.

    Lead in your water: what to do

  4. Compare certified filters

    What the filters certified for these results cost over five years, cartridges included.

    Compare five-year costs

Other New Mexico utilities

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