What the report is
Its official name is the Consumer Confidence Report, or CCR. Federal rules require every community water system to deliver one to customers each year by July 1, covering the previous calendar year. So the report you read in summer 2026 describes water delivered in 2025.
The rules were updated in 2024. Starting with the reports due in 2027, larger systems (serving more than 10,000 people) will send reports twice a year, and the reports are meant to be easier to read. Until then, expect the familiar once-a-year format.
If you're on a private well, there's no report; you're the one who tests. See our well testing guide instead.
Finding yours
Your report comes from whoever sends your water bill. For the areas we serve, that's usually one of these. Search the utility's website for "water quality report" or "Consumer Confidence Report", or call and ask for a copy.
| If you live in | Your water likely comes from |
|---|---|
| Albuquerque, Los Ranchos and much of Bernalillo County | Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority |
| Rio Rancho | City of Rio Rancho utilities |
| Bernalillo (town) | Town of Bernalillo public works |
| Los Lunas | Village of Los Lunas |
| Belen | City of Belen |
| Bosque Farms | Village of Bosque Farms |
| Edgewood | EPCOR Water New Mexico |
Some neighborhoods, particularly in Placitas and the East Mountains, are served by small co-ops or community water systems. They publish reports too, often as a mailed or emailed PDF.
The terms you'll see
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| MCL (Maximum Contaminant Level) | The legal limit for a contaminant in drinking water. This is the number that matters for compliance. |
| MCLG (Maximum Contaminant Level Goal) | The level at which no health risk is expected. It's a goal, not a limit, and for some contaminants it's zero. |
| Action level | Used for lead and copper. If more than a set share of home samples exceed it, the utility must take extra steps. |
| MRDL (Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level) | The limit for the disinfectant kept in the water, such as chlorine. |
| TT (Treatment Technique) | A required process instead of a numeric limit, used when a contaminant is hard to measure directly. |
| ppm / mg/L | Parts per million. The same thing as milligrams per liter. |
| ppb / µg/L | Parts per billion, a thousand times smaller than ppm. Arsenic and lead are reported in ppb. |
| ND | Not detected above the lab's reporting limit. |
How to read the results table
The heart of the report is a table, one row per contaminant. Read each row left to right:
- Contaminant name, and sometimes the year it was sampled. Not everything is tested every year.
- Level detected. Often the highest single result or a running average, plus a range showing the lowest and highest results across sampling points.
- MCL and MCLG, for comparison.
- Violation: yes or no.
- Likely source, such as "erosion of natural deposits" for arsenic or "corrosion of household plumbing" for lead.
A detection is not the same as a problem. Lab equipment is sensitive enough to find trace amounts of many things. What matters is how the level compares with the MCL, and whether there's a violation.
Look for the disinfectant section too. In Albuquerque, the ABCWUA disinfects with chlorine (sodium hypochlorite), and the report shows the residual levels. That residual is what you're tasting when water smells faintly like a pool, and it's what a carbon filter removes at the tap.
What the report doesn't tell you
- What's happening in your own plumbing. Lead mostly comes from older pipes, solder and fixtures inside buildings, not the water supply. The report's lead results are from sampled homes, not yours.
- Hardness, often. Hardness isn't health-regulated, so it may be in a secondary section or missing entirely. Our guide on Albuquerque water hardness explains how to get your number.
- Your exact tap. Results are averages and ranges across the system. Water quality at a specific house can differ, especially for systems that blend sources.
- Taste and smell, except where they're tied to a measured parameter.
- Anything after the meter, like a water heater, softener or filter you've installed.
If something in your report concerns you, or you just want to know what's coming out of your own tap, a test at the faucet answers the question directly. Our free water test covers hardness, TDS, pH, chlorine and iron; for lead or other health-related contaminants, a certified lab is the right call.
My report shows a contaminant was detected. Should I worry?
Not by itself. Compare the level with the MCL in the same row and check the violation column. Low-level detections of naturally occurring substances are common and within standards.
Why does my water smell like chlorine some days more than others?
Disinfectant levels vary with distance from treatment, temperature and how long water sits in the pipes. A carbon filter at the tap or for the whole house removes the taste and smell.
Where can I find older reports?
Most utilities keep past years on their website. Comparing a few years can show whether a level is steady or changing.
Sources
- Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, 40 CFR Part 141 Subpart O, Consumer Confidence Reports
- Federal Register, Consumer Confidence Report Rule Revisions (May 2024)
- Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority, Distribution system compliance monitoring (chlorine disinfection)