Well Water in Edgewood, New Mexico

Santa Fe / Torrance County · Population ~6,000 · Aquifer: Sandia Basin / Estancia Basin

Hardness: 232-676 PPM (13.5-39.5 gpg) — Extremely Hard

Water Quantity Crisis

Edgewood sits in one of the most water-stressed parts of central New Mexico. The Sandia Basin aquifer beneath the town is declining at roughly 1.8 feet per year. Some residents have already seen their wells go dry.

When a well fails, the options are expensive: $85 for 1,500 gallons of hauled water, or approximately $5,000 to join the Edgewood water cooperative (if capacity is available). Drilling a new, deeper well can cost $15,000-$30,000 with no guarantee of adequate yield.

Extreme Hardness

Edgewood water is among the hardest in New Mexico. Testing consistently shows 232 to 676 PPM (13.5 to 39.5 grains per gallon). For reference, the USGS classifies anything above 180 PPM as "very hard." Edgewood routinely exceeds even that threshold by 2-3x.

Hard water isn't a direct health threat, but it destroys water heaters, clogs pipes, leaves scale on everything, and makes soap nearly useless. Most Edgewood homeowners end up installing a water softener just to protect their plumbing.

Health-Related Contaminants

The bigger concerns are the invisible ones. Edgewood wells have documented elevated levels of:

• Arsenic — tasteless, odorless, and found throughout the Sandia Basin geology. See our arsenic guide.
• Uranium — naturally occurring in local formations
• Fluoride — commonly elevated
• Manganese — causes black staining and metallic taste

As water levels decline, these contaminant concentrations are increasing. Less water means less dilution. A well that tested below EPA limits five years ago should be retested.

What To Do

If you own a well in Edgewood, get a comprehensive water test — not just bacteria and nitrates. You need arsenic, uranium, fluoride, manganese, hardness, TDS, and a basic mineral panel at minimum.

The state holds free water test fairs several times a year, testing the first 100 well owners for arsenic, fluoride, sulfate, nitrate, iron, conductivity, and pH. These are worth attending, but they don't cover everything — consider a full lab panel as well.