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LOWER RIO GRANDE PWWA SOUTH VALLEY vs ALBUQUERQUE WATER SYSTEM

Water quality comparison — risk levels, violations, PFAS records, and contaminants

Quick Answer

Both utilities share the same risk level (safe). LOWER RIO GRANDE PWWA SOUTH VALLEY has 0 open health-based violations and 464 PFAS records. ALBUQUERQUE WATER SYSTEM has 0 open health-based violations and 1508 PFAS records.

LOWER RIO GRANDE PWWA SOUTH VALLEY

New Mexico · NM3502407

Overall Risk Level

No Concerns Detected

No Concern
Low
Moderate
High
Critical

Water meets all safety standards with no detected exceedances.

0

Open violations

464

PFAS records

ALBUQUERQUE WATER SYSTEM

New Mexico · NM3510701

Overall Risk Level

No Concerns Detected

No Concern
Low
Moderate
High
Critical

Water meets all safety standards with no detected exceedances.

0

Open violations

1508

PFAS records

Head-to-Head Comparison

MetricLOWER RIO GRANDE PWWA SOUTH VALLEYALBUQUERQUE WATER SYSTEM
StateNew MexicoNew Mexico
Risk LevelNo Concerns DetectedNo Concerns Detected
Population Served11,542560,326
Open Health Violations00
Total Violations131
PFAS Records4641508
OwnershipLocalLocal
Service TypeGroundwaterSurface water
City ServedVadoAlbuquerque

Contaminants in Violation Records

LOWER RIO GRANDE PWWA SOUTH VALLEY

  • Total Coliform
  • Cryptosporidium

ALBUQUERQUE WATER SYSTEM

  • Nitrate

Key Differences

LOWER RIO GRANDE PWWA SOUTH VALLEY has 464 PFAS records vs. 1508 for ALBUQUERQUE WATER SYSTEM.

What Should I Do?

If either utility shows open violations or elevated PFAS records, consider:

  • Installing a reverse osmosis filter — removes PFAS, lead, arsenic, nitrates, and most heavy metals.
  • Requesting your utility’s annual Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) for the most current test results.
  • Ordering a certified lab water test if you want contaminant-specific data for your address.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is safer — LOWER RIO GRANDE PWWA SOUTH VALLEY or ALBUQUERQUE WATER SYSTEM?

Both utilities share the same risk level (safe). Both utilities have similar violation profiles — review the full data above to decide based on specific contaminants that concern you.

What does "open health-based violation" mean?

An open health-based violation means a water system has exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) or failed to meet a treatment technique — and the violation has not yet been resolved. These are the most serious type of water quality violations.

How current is this data?

Violation data comes from EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), which is updated as utilities report. PFAS data comes from EPA's UCMR 5 monitoring (2023–2025). Risk levels are recalculated daily.

What does PWSID mean?

PWSID stands for Public Water System ID — a unique federal identifier assigned to each community water system. You can use it to look up a system in EPA's ECHO database.

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