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Lead in New Mexico well water, by county

By the Tested Water teamLab data from the USGS and EPA Water Quality Portal, 2000 to 2025Updated November 8, 2026

Lead is rare in tested New Mexico wells: in all 15 counties with enough tests, fewer than 5% of tested wells were over the limit. A county's share tells you how likely a problem is nearby. Only a test of your own well tells you what's in it.

Find a lead test See every county

These tests sample the groundwater, and lead rarely comes from the ground. In a home it mostly comes from plumbing: old solder, brass fittings and some older pumps. So a county's share can't tell you about your pipes. Test a first-draw sample, water that sat in the pipes overnight, from the tap you drink from.

How New Mexico compares with the rest of the country

Across New Mexico, 3 of 678 tested wells had lead over the EPA action level of 15 µg/L (3 of 678). Across all tested wells in the US it's under 1 in 50. That's less often than in the country as a whole. Counties still differ, so check yours below.

Why it matters: It harms children's growing brains. The CDC says no amount in a child's blood is known to be safe.

Lead in tested wells, county by county

Share of each county's tested wells with at least one result over the EPA action level of 15 µg/L. Counties need 10 or more tested wells to be listed. Widespread means 15% or more, worth checking 5 to 15%, rare under 5%.

CountyWells testedWells over the limitLevel
San Juan County 42
5% 2 of 42
 Rare
Doña Ana County 148
1% 1 of 148
 Rare
Bernalillo County 136
0% 0 of 136
 Rare
Curry County 51
0% 0 of 51
 Rare
Otero County 41
0% 0 of 41
 Rare
Roosevelt County 40
0% 0 of 40
 Rare
Rio Arriba County 36
0% 0 of 36
 Rare
Sandoval County 28
0% 0 of 28
 Rare
Cibola County 23
0% 0 of 23
 Rare
Lincoln County 23
0% 0 of 23
 Rare
Santa Fe County 21
0% 0 of 21
 Rare
Catron County 20
0% 0 of 20
 Rare
McKinley County 13
0% 0 of 13
 Rare
Sierra County 11
0% 0 of 11
 Rare
Valencia County 10
0% 0 of 10
 Rare

8 more New Mexico counties have 1 to 9 tested wells for lead, too few to rate.

Download this table (CSV) · Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0

Where to get your well tested for lead in New Mexico

1

Free testing, with limits

New Mexico offers free screening at water fairs and some field offices, but it doesn't replace a certified lab test. Check which tests it includes before you count on it for lead.

New Mexico's private well page
3

A mail-in kit

Fill the bottles at your kitchen tap and mail them back. We mark the kits that include lead.

Compare kits

Keep reading about wells in New Mexico

Questions people ask about lead in New Mexico

Is there lead in New Mexico well water?

Lead is rare in tested New Mexico wells: in all 15 counties with enough tests, fewer than 5% of tested wells were over the limit. Across New Mexico, 3 of 678 tested wells had lead over the EPA action level of 15 µg/L (3 of 678). Across all tested wells in the US it's under 1 in 50. That's less often than in the country as a whole. Counties still differ, so check yours below.

Where can I get my well tested for lead in New Mexico?

New Mexico offers free screening at water fairs and some field offices, but it doesn't replace a certified lab test. If that doesn't cover you, use a lab certified by New Mexico for drinking water, or a mail-in kit that includes lead from a certified lab.

See New Mexico's list of certified labs, or compare mail-in kits.

Where these numbers come from

  • Lab tests: Water Quality Portal (USGS and EPA), well samples since 2000. A well counts as over if any of its tests was over the EPA action level of 15 µg/L. Wells tested for studies and monitoring, not a random sample of homes.
  • Likely overstated: our own check of who tested the wells, when and where. How we check.
  • State programs and links: Environment Department.