Is Rio Rancho, NM tap water safe?
Supplied by Rio Rancho Water & Water Works Services · serves 107,350 people (37,760 connections) · Purchased surface water · EPA ID NM3509623
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Most of Rio Rancho gets its water from Rio Rancho Water & Water Works Services. Parts of the city are served by a smaller system: Bryan County Rws & Swmd #2 (6,270 people). Your water bill names your system.
Buys water from Albuquerque Water System. Treated water bought from another system can carry that system's contaminants.
Summary
An unresolved health-based violation.
Is it an emergency? No: these findings are about longer-term exposure, and nothing in EPA's data calls for you to stop drinking the water today. If your utility ever issues a boil-water or do-not-drink notice, follow it.
- PFAS
- Not detectedNone of 29 PFAS found above EPA's reporting limits in 14 samples (2023–2025).
- Lithium
- Above screening levelHighest result 467 ppb. EPA uses 10 ppb to decide what to study further. It is not a health limit, and there is no federal limit for lithium. About 1 in 4 systems tested were above it.
- Lead
- Below action level2 ppb (parts per billion) at the 90th percentile: 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below it. Action level 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb in Nov 2027. Monitoring period Jan 2024 – now, still in progress (results reported so far). Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- Violations
- 1 unresolved1 health-based violation since 2016, most recently Mar 2026.
- Built before 1986, or not sure what your service line is made of? Check your service line and test your tap. Utility data can't show your pipes.
- Tested your own tap? Compare your result with these numbers. Moving? Compare this system with another.
- Read Rio Rancho Water & Water Works Services's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report). It lists every regulated contaminant tested and is usually on the utility's website or mailed with your bill, and you can also request it at (505) 896-8812. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 7 entry points tested Jan 2025 to Oct 2025. "Average" is the highest entry-point average (non-detects counted as zero), the way EPA compares UCMR 5 results to the limits. ppt = parts per trillion. These results do not determine compliance.
| Contaminant | Highest average |
|---|---|
| PFOA Not detected Limit 4 ppt | – |
| PFOS Not detected Limit 4 ppt | – |
| PFHxS Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| PFNA Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| HFPO-DA (GenX) Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| Hazard Index (a combined score for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and PFBS, where above 1 is over the limit) Not detected Limit 1 | – |
| PFBS Not detected Guideline 2,000 ppt | – |
| PFBA Not detected Guideline 6,000 ppt | – |
| PFHxA Not detected Guideline 3,000 ppt | – |
29 PFAS tested, 0 detected at least once. "Not detected" means below EPA's reporting limit (about 2 to 20 ppt depending on the chemical), not proven zero. PFAS not listed were not detected. The limits for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and the Hazard Index were proposed for rescission in May 2026. That proposal is not final. Systems have until 2029 to meet the limits.
Lithium
Detected in 14 of 14 samples. Highest result 467 ppb. EPA's non-enforceable screening level is 10 ppb. Above screening level The screening level is how EPA decides what to study further, not a health limit. There is no federal limit for lithium and no filter is certified to remove it. About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 2 ppb lead (Jan 2024 – now (in progress)). Below action level
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2024 – now (in progress) | 2 ppb |
| Jan 2023 – Dec 2025 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 2020 – Dec 2022 | 1 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2018 – Dec 2020 | 1 ppb |
| Jan 2017 – Dec 2019 | 1 ppb |
| Jan 2015 – Dec 2017 | 1 ppb |
| Jan 2014 – Dec 2016 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 2012 – Dec 2014 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 2011 – Dec 2013 | 3.84 ppb |
| Jan 2008 – Dec 2010 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2005 – Dec 2007 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2002 – Dec 2004 | 0 ppb |
Lead comes from pipes and fixtures, not the source water, so it varies home to home. The 90th percentile means 9 in 10 sampled homes were at or below it. More on lead.
Violations
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| Mar 2026 | An inspection found a significant problem (such as a damaged well or storage tank) that was not fixed on time. EPA record: Groundwater Rule · Failure To Address Deficiency (limit ) Unaddressed |
Health-based violations mean a contaminant exceeded a limit or a required treatment step was missed. Monitoring and reporting violations mean required tests or reports were late or missing, so the water's quality during that time is unknown. The total includes every violation in EPA's records, most of them paperwork.
Earlier EPA testing (2013–2020)
| Contaminant | Highest | Guideline |
|---|---|---|
| Manganese | 2.2 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 10.6 ppb | – |
| Molybdenum | 13.3 ppb | 40 ppb |
| Strontium | 1.7 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Chlorate | 140 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Vanadium | 41 ppb | 21 ppb |
Where it serves
Rio Rancho
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 87124, 87144
Nearby utilities
- Albuquerque Water System Albuquerque · 13 mi
- City of Santa Fe Water System Santa Fe · 48 mi
- Elephant Butte Water System Elephant Butte · 148 mi · PFAS above limit
- Roswell Municipal Water System Roswell · 180 mi
- Las Cruces Municipal Water System Las Cruces · 204 mi
Questions
Is Rio Rancho tap water safe to drink?
Most of Rio Rancho gets its water from Rio Rancho Water & Water Works Services. Rio Rancho Water & Water Works Services has 1 unresolved health-based violation on record. EPA testing found no PFAS above the federal limits. Federal data can't tell you about your own pipes: lead comes from service lines and plumbing, so test your tap if your home was built before 1986. For the official word, read the utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report.
Does Rio Rancho water have PFAS?
EPA tested Rio Rancho Water & Water Works Services for 29 PFAS between Jan 2025 and Oct 2025 and none were detected above the reporting limits (about 2 to 20 ppt depending on the chemical).
What is the lead level in Rio Rancho water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Rio Rancho Water & Water Works Services is 2 ppb, for the monitoring period that began Jan 2024 (still in progress). The federal action level is 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb in November 2027. The 90th percentile means 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below this number. Individual homes can be higher.
Check these numbers yourself
Every figure on this page comes from public EPA records. You don't have to take our word for it:
- EPA's own report for NM3509623: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID NM3509623).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask Rio Rancho Water & Water Works Services at (505) 896-8812, or see EPA's guide to finding it.
Found something that doesn't match? Tell us and we'll check it against EPA's records. How we check our data.
Source: U.S. EPA drinking water records and PFAS testing (UCMR 5). How we read the data.