Otero County, Colorado — public water systems

At a glance

23 active public water systems are filed under Otero County, Colorado in EPA's SDWIS records, together reporting 19,329 people served. The largest is City of La Junta, which reports serving 8,320 people. All 23 are community water systems serving people where they live.

Dataset updated October 2026 . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO, refreshed quarterly.

Active systems

Population served

19.3K

Community systems

Groundwater share

100%

How does Otero County compare with other Colorado counties?

Otero County has the 29th-most active public water systems among the 113 counties listed for active Colorado systems in EPA records; among the 65 with 3 or more systems, the median has 18. Its systems report 19,329 people served in total, the 31st-largest county figure in the state and 0.3% of the statewide total. The average system here reports serving 840 people, well below the Colorado average of 3,400. Population figures are what each system reports; people served by more than one system, such as a wholesaler and the town that buys from it, are counted by each.

Where does Otero County's drinking water come from?

By primary water source, Otero County's active systems draw on groundwater (20, 87%), purchased groundwater (2, 8.7%) and groundwater under influence of surface water (1, 4.3%). Overall, all rely mainly on groundwater (including purchased groundwater) and none on surface water, compared with 74% and 26% across Colorado. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers. The county's largest system, City of La Junta, draws primarily on groundwater.

What kinds of water systems operate in Otero County?

Otero County's active systems break down as 23 community systems (100%). A community water system serves at least 15 connections used by year-round residents, or regularly serves at least 25 year-round residents. Homes, apartments and mobile-home parks are served by these. EPA lists their owner types as private (70%) and local government (30%).

Water systems in Otero County

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Active public water systems in Otero County, Colorado
#	Water system	County	Population served	Type	Source
1	La Junta City of	Otero	8,320	Community	Groundwater
2	Rocky Ford City of	Otero	4,443	Community	Groundwater
3	Fowler Town of	Otero	1,169	Community	Groundwater under influence of surface water
4	Bents Fort Wc	Otero	900	Community	Purchased groundwater
5	Swink Town of	Otero	660	Community	Groundwater
6	South Swink Water Authority	Otero	622	Community	Groundwater
7	Eureka Wc	Otero	498	Community	Groundwater
8	Manzanola Town of	Otero	497	Community	Groundwater
9	Newdale Grand Valley Wc	Otero	458	Community	Groundwater
10	Hilltop Wc	Otero	285	Community	Groundwater
11	Valley Wc	Otero	270	Community	Groundwater
12	Cheraw Town of	Otero	254	Community	Groundwater
13	Beehive Water Association	Otero	154	Community	Groundwater
14	Vroman Wc	Otero	125	Community	Groundwater
15	West Grand Valley Wa	Otero	100	Community	Groundwater
16	Patterson Valley Wc	Otero	96	Community	Groundwater
17	Riverside Wc	Otero	90	Community	Groundwater
18	Homestead Improvement Association Inc.	Otero	87	Community	Purchased groundwater
19	Fayette Wc	Otero	75	Community	Groundwater
20	East End Wa	Otero	70	Community	Groundwater
21	North Holbrook Wc	Otero	58	Community	Groundwater
22	Holbrook Center Soft Wa	Otero	54	Community	Groundwater
23	South Side Wa	Otero	44	Community	Groundwater

Otero County water systems: frequently asked questions

How many public water systems are in Otero County, Colorado?

EPA's SDWIS records file 23 active public water systems under Otero County, Colorado: 23 community systems (100%).

Who supplies drinking water in Otero County, CO?

The largest community water systems filed under Otero County are City of La Junta (8,320 people served), City of Rocky Ford (4,443 people served) and Town of Fowler (1,169 people served). Which system serves a particular address depends on its service area, which EPA's SDWIS records do not include; a water bill or the local utility can confirm it.

Does Otero County's drinking water come from groundwater or surface water?

Of the 23 active public water systems in Otero County, all draw mainly on groundwater and none on surface water, counting purchased supplies. The largest system, City of La Junta, uses groundwater.

Where can I find a water quality report for Otero County?

Each community water system must deliver an annual water quality report, called a Consumer Confidence Report, to its customers by July 1, covering the previous calendar year. 23 community systems are filed under Otero County, so the report to look for is the one from the system that supplies your address.

How can I check violations for a water system in Otero County?

Open the system's profile from the list on this page. Each profile shows the most recent Safe Drinking Water Act violations in EPA's records, with plain-English labels and whether each one is resolved. For current compliance status, EPA ECHO is the primary source.

More Colorado water systems

About this data

Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and SDWA violation records, via EPA ECHO, as published October 1, 2026 — AquaCensus refreshes it quarterly. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.

Cite as: AquaCensus, “Public water systems in Otero County, Colorado”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/colorado/otero (data as of October 1, 2026).