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 uranium.
New Mexico's private well pageUranium in New Mexico well water, by county
Uranium is widespread, over the limit in 15% or more of tested wells, in 3 of the 15 New Mexico counties with 10 or more tested wells. 2 more look high, but those results likely overstate it. 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.
How New Mexico compares with the rest of the country
Across New Mexico, about 1 in 8 tested wells had uranium over the EPA limit of 30 µg/L (79 of 632). Across all tested wells in the US it's about 1 in 22. So uranium turns up in New Mexico wells about 3 times as often as in the country as a whole, and a test is worth adding even if your county isn't on the list below.
Why it matters: Drinking it for years can harm your kidneys and raises the risk of cancer.
Uranium comes out of the rock and sediment the wells draw from.
Uranium in tested wells, county by county
Share of each county's tested wells with at least one result over the EPA limit of 30 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%.
| County | Wells tested | Wells over the limit | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cibola County | 22 | Widespread | |
| Doña Ana County | 148 | Widespread | |
| San Juan County | 14 | Widespread | |
| Sierra County | 11 | Widespread | |
| Rio Arriba County | 36 | Widespread | |
| Roosevelt County | 32 | Worth checking | |
| Bernalillo County | 145 | Rare | |
| Curry County | 42 | Rare | |
| Otero County | 35 | Rare | |
| Sandoval County | 28 | Rare | |
| Lincoln County | 23 | Rare | |
| Santa Fe County | 21 | Rare | |
| Catron County | 20 | Rare | |
| McKinley County | 13 | Rare | |
| Valencia County | 10 | Rare |
* Likely overstated. These shares come from a narrow set of wells, so they probably run high for the county as a whole:
- Cibola County: Almost all of these tests come from the US Geological Survey in one small part of the county, so this likely overstates it.
- Sierra County: All of these tests come from the US Geological Survey in one small part of the county, so it may not match the rest of the county.
8 more New Mexico counties have 1 to 9 tested wells for uranium, too few to rate.
Download this table (CSV) · Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0
Where to get your well tested for uranium in New Mexico
A lab New Mexico certifies
Ask for uranium by name. Results from a certified lab count for a home sale or a loan.
Labs certified by New MexicoA mail-in kit
Fill the bottles at your kitchen tap and mail them back. We mark the kits that include uranium.
Compare kitsKeep reading about wells in New Mexico
- Well water testing in New Mexico: how to get tested and what turns up statewide
- Uranium in well water: where it comes from, what it does and how to remove it
- Nitrate in New Mexico wells, by county
- Arsenic in New Mexico wells, by county
- Manganese in New Mexico wells, by county
- Lead in New Mexico wells, by county
Questions people ask about uranium in New Mexico
Is there uranium in New Mexico well water?
Uranium is widespread, over the limit in 15% or more of tested wells, in 3 of the 15 New Mexico counties with 10 or more tested wells. 2 more look high, but those results likely overstate it. Across New Mexico, about 1 in 8 tested wells had uranium over the EPA limit of 30 µg/L (79 of 632). Across all tested wells in the US it's about 1 in 22. So uranium turns up in New Mexico wells about 3 times as often as in the country as a whole, and a test is worth adding even if your county isn't on the list below.
Where can I get my well tested for uranium 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 uranium 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 limit of 30 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.