Hometown News

NMED NEWS RELEASE

The New Mexico Environment Department is expanding access to free well water testing for New Mexicans who rely on private wells for their drinking water.

Under the expanded program, New Mexicans using private wells can bring water samples to NMED field offices statewide, where staff will screen samples for nitrate, iron and fluoride. A full list of NMED field offices can be found here.

“Private drinking water wells provide over 115 thousand families with reliable drinking water,” said NMED Environmental Health Division Director Bill Schaedla. “By making these screenings available through our field offices statewide, we’re giving more New Mexicans an easy way to better understand their water quality and determine when additional testing or treatment may be appropriate.”

This service is intended as an initial screening and does not replace more comprehensive testing by a certified laboratory. Similar tests from commercial laboratories cost $100 to $125.

Unlike public drinking water systems, private wells are generally the responsibility of the property owner. Voluntary testing can provide private well users with useful information about their water and help them make informed decisions about household water use, system maintenance and any additional evaluation that may be appropriate.

The expanded service builds on NMED’s broader efforts to help New Mexicans who rely on private wells, including:

• Water Fairs: Conducting events in rural communities throughout the state that provide free testing for a broader range of water-quality parameters.
• Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon: Providing targeted private-well testing for heavy metals and PFAS near the wildfire burn scar.
• Santa Fe and Curry counties: Providing PFAS testing and free home filtration systems to affected private well owners.
• Rural Curry County: Supporting a $12 million project to connect approximately 100 private well owners to a public drinking water system.

Property owners interested in free well water testing should contact their nearest NMED field office. Water Protection Division and Environmental Health Division staff can explain the process, provide instructions and help residents access available testing services.

More information on how to collect and submit water samples can be found here.

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