Is Roswell, NM tap water safe?
Supplied by Roswell Municipal Water System · serves 54,025 people (20,084 connections) · Groundwater · EPA ID NM3520203
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Most of Roswell gets its water from Roswell Municipal Water System. Parts of the city are served by 3 smaller systems: Berrendo Cooperative Wua Water System (4,304 people), Cumberland Cooperative Wua Water System (588 people), Wild Willys RV Park Water System (142 people). Your water bill names your system.
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 26 samples (2023–2025).
- Lithium
- Above screening levelHighest result 18.5 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 level0 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 ending Dec 2024. Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- Violations
- 2 unresolved2 health-based violations since 2016, most recently Jun 2025.
- 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 Roswell Municipal Water System'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 (575) 624-6730. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 13 entry points tested Jul 2023 to Jan 2024. "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 25 of 26 samples. Highest result 18.5 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: 0 ppb lead (Jan 2022 – Dec 2024). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 2 ppb (Dec 2021).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2022 – Dec 2024 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2019 – Dec 2021 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 2016 – Dec 2018 | 2 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2013 – Dec 2015 | 1.5 ppb |
| Jan 2011 – Dec 2013 | 2.7 ppb |
| Jan 2008 – Dec 2010 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2005 – Dec 2007 | 2.24 ppb |
| Jan 2002 – Dec 2004 | 2.8 ppb |
| Jan 2003 – Jun 2003 | 5 ppb |
| Jan 1999 – Dec 2001 | 6 ppb |
| Jan 1993 – Jun 1993 | 0 ppb |
| Jul 1992 – Dec 1992 | 10 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 |
|---|---|
| Jun 2025 2 times | 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 |
1 unresolved monitoring or reporting violation: E. coli.
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 | 15 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Molybdenum | 2.6 ppb | 40 ppb |
| Vanadium | 5.9 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Strontium | 2.8 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Chromium-6 | 0.33 ppb | – |
Where it serves
Roswell
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 88201, 88202, 88203
Nearby utilities
- Las Cruces Municipal Water System Las Cruces · 149 mi
- Elephant Butte Water System Elephant Butte · 156 mi · PFAS above limit
- Albuquerque Water System Albuquerque · 171 mi
- City of Santa Fe Water System Santa Fe · 179 mi
- Rio Rancho Water & Water Works Services Rio Rancho · 182 mi
Questions
Is Roswell tap water safe to drink?
Most of Roswell gets its water from Roswell Municipal Water System. Roswell Municipal Water System has 2 unresolved health-based violations 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 Roswell water have PFAS?
EPA tested Roswell Municipal Water System for 29 PFAS between Jul 2023 and Jan 2024 and none were detected above the reporting limits (about 2 to 20 ppt depending on the chemical).
What is the lead level in Roswell water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Roswell Municipal Water System is 0 ppb, for the period ending Dec 2024. 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 NM3520203: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID NM3520203).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask Roswell Municipal Water System at (575) 624-6730, 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.