Public water system · NM3525833
ActiveSan Rafael Water & Sanitation District
At a glance
San Rafael Water & Sanitation District (PWSID NM3525833) is an active community water system in Cibola County, New Mexico. It reports serving 1,060 people through 323 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 4 are health-based, and the most recent began in January 2026.
This page covers its drinking water system only; sewer and wastewater service are not part of EPA's drinking water records.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
1,060
Service connections
323
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does San Rafael Water & Sanitation District compare with other water systems in Cibola County?
By EPA's size categories, San Rafael Water & Sanitation District is a small system (501 to 3,300 people). Cibola County has 18 active public water systems, and San Rafael Water & Sanitation District is the 4th-largest of them by population served. Its population served is roughly in line with the county average of 1,117 people per system, and accounts for 5.3% of the 20,114 people reported by systems filed under the county. Across New Mexico, the 1,165 active systems average 1,885 people each. Nationally, the average active community water system reports serving 6,703 people, so San Rafael Water & Sanitation District is well below that figure.
What does “community water system” mean?
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. New Mexico has 645 active community water systems, 55% of the state's 1,165 active systems. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers. 1,009 New Mexico systems (87%) list groundwater as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates San Rafael Water & Sanitation District?
EPA lists San Rafael Water & Sanitation District as owned by a local government. The NM state drinking water program is its primacy agency, the regulator with primary enforcement responsibility for the system under the Safe Drinking Water Act. 10 of the 18 active systems in Cibola County (56%) are also owned by a local government.
Does San Rafael Water & Sanitation District have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 4 are health-based, and the most recent began in January 2026. The violations listed here began between January 2024 and January 2026. By type: 4 required treatment not met, 3 public notice, recordkeeping or other, 3 monitoring and 2 monitoring and reporting. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Groundwater Rule (4 of them). EPA lists 8 as resolved and 4 as unaddressed. Resolved means at least one resolving action is on record: the system returned to compliance, the rule no longer applies, or no further action was needed. Unaddressed means the violation is not resolved or archived and is not yet covered by formal enforcement.
| Began | Violation | Contaminant or rule | Health-based | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-15 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Unaddressed |
| 2026-01-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2024-12-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2024-12-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Chlorinecode 0999 | No | Resolved |
| 2024-11-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2024-11-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Chlorinecode 0999 | No | Resolved |
| 2024-03-16 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Resolved |
| 2024-02-10 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Resolved |
| 2024-01-16 | Required treatment not metFailure To Address Deficiency · code 45 | Groundwater Rulecode 0700 | Yes | Unaddressed |
| 2024-01-16 | Required treatment not metFailure To Address Deficiency · code 45 | Groundwater Rulecode 0700 | Yes | Unaddressed |
| 2024-01-16 | Required treatment not metFailure To Address Deficiency · code 45 | Groundwater Rulecode 0700 | Yes | Unaddressed |
| 2024-01-16 | Required treatment not metFailure To Address Deficiency · code 45 | Groundwater Rulecode 0700 | Yes | Resolved |
The 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, newest first.Labels and codes come from EPA's SDWIS reference tables. A monitoring or reporting violation means a required test or report was missed or late; it does not by itself mean a contaminant was found. "Health-based" marks violations of a legal limit or required treatment.
San Rafael Water & Sanitation District: frequently asked questions
Who runs San Rafael Water & Sanitation District?
San Rafael Water & Sanitation District (PWSID NM3525833) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the NM state drinking water program.
How many people does San Rafael Water & Sanitation District serve?
San Rafael Water & Sanitation District reports serving 1,060 people through 323 service connections in Cibola County, New Mexico.
Where does San Rafael Water & Sanitation District get its water?
EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as groundwater. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers.
Does San Rafael Water & Sanitation District have any drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 4 are health-based, and the most recent began in January 2026. A monitoring or reporting violation means a required test or report was missed or late; it does not by itself mean a contaminant was found.
Is San Rafael Water & Sanitation District's water safe to drink?
AquaCensus shows EPA compliance records, not current water test results, so it cannot say whether the water is safe at a given moment. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, 4 are health-based, and the most recent began in January 2026. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the NM state drinking water program.
Where can I find San Rafael Water & Sanitation District's water quality report?
As a community water system, San Rafael Water & Sanitation District must deliver an annual water quality report, called a Consumer Confidence Report, to its customers by July 1 each year, covering the previous calendar year. The system can provide a copy on request.
Other water systems in Cibola County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants Domestic Water System | Cibola | 10,523 | Community | Groundwater |
| Milan Community Water System | Cibola | 3,409 | Community | Groundwater |
| Acomita Rest Area | Cibola | 2,501 | Transient non-community | Groundwater |
| Bluewater Water and Sanitation District | Cibola | 492 | Community | Groundwater |
| Bluewater Acres Wua | Cibola | 331 | Community | Groundwater |
| Bibo Mutual Domestic Water Assoc | Cibola | 241 | Community | Groundwater |
Related pages
Working with water-system records? Pro adds alerts, change history and CSV export ($49/mo); Enterprise adds full national files, the API and an MCP server for AI tools.
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, “San Rafael Water & Sanitation District, PWSID NM3525833, New Mexico”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/new-mexico/san-rafael-water-sanitation-district-nm3525833 (data as of October 1, 2026).