PlainEnviro

Taos, NM

Low Risk (15/100)

A PlainEnviro-computed score from reported facility/violation counts, not an official EPA rating, health forecast, or population-adjusted rate. See methodology.

Environmental data for Taos in New Mexico · Population: 34,516

Taos, NM is tracked across three EPA datasets covering 0 Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) facilities, 34 Safe Drinking Water Act systems, and 0 Superfund National Priorities List sites. Together these generate an environmental burden score of 15/100 (Low Risk), calibrated against national distributions for facility density, chemical release volume, Superfund concentration, and water-system health violations.

Industrial disclosures inside the county total 0 lbs of reported toxic releases under EPCRA Section 313, while 28 water systems carry an active health-based violation in the SDWIS record. EPA Air Quality System monitors logged a median AQI of 16 and a peak AQI of 76 in 2024, with 97% of observed days rated "Good" (0–50).

All figures below draw directly from federal EPA records, TRI self-reported emissions, SDWIS compliance history, NPL Hazard Ranking System scores, and AQS daily AQI summaries, and are not adjusted, weighted, or forecast. A past violation or elevated score does not itself indicate current unsafe conditions; it documents the regulatory and disclosure history publicly filed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through the most recent reporting cycle.

Population
34,516
TRI Facilities
0
Water Systems
34
Superfund Sites
0
Total Releases
0 lbs

Air Quality History (2020–2024)

EPA Air Quality Index (AQI) data showing how many days per year fall into each air quality category.

Year Good Moderate Unhealthy (SG) Max AQI
2024 354 (97%) 11 0 76
2023 332 (95%) 18 0 67
2022 323 (90%) 36 0 86
2021 290 (90%) 32 1 108
2020 310 (86%) 50 0 68
2024 Good Air Quality: 97% of days
Median AQI: 16

Source: EPA Air Quality System (AQS) Annual AQI by County EPA Air Quality System (AQS) Annual AQI by County AQI categories: Good (0-50), Moderate (51-100), Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (101-150), Unhealthy (151-200), Very Unhealthy (201-300), Hazardous (301+)

For real-time air quality readings and pollutant breakdowns in New Mexico, see the EPA's AirNow.gov.

Water Systems (34)

System Population Violations
TAOS MUNICIPAL WATER SYSTEM 5,528 0
QUESTA WATER SYSTEM 2,337 5
EL PRADO WATER & SANITATION DISTRICT 1,076 2
VILLAGE OF TAOS SKI VALLEY 1,025 4
LLANO QUEMADO MDWCA 800 45
RANCHOS DE TAOS MDWCA 750 29
TALPA MDWCA 700 9
RED RIVER WATER SYSTEM 679 10
PENASCO MDWCA 549 4
ARROYO SECO MDWCA 444 1
UNION DEL LLANO MDWCA 400 8
VALLE ESCONDIDO HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION 354 0
RIO LUCIO MDWCA 342 6
LOWER DES MONTES MDWCA 319 2
COSTILLA MDWCA 244 8
EL SALTO MDWCA AND SA 232 0
CERRO REGIONAL MDWCA/SWA 232 9
UPPER DES MONTES MDWCA 222 1
UPPER RANCHITOS MDWCASW 222 9
CANON MDWCA 200 5
UPPER ARROYO HONDO MDWCA 195 37
LOWER ARROYO HONDO MDWCA 180 3
SAN CRISTOBAL MDWCA 165 0
VADITO MDWCA 122 10
RODARTE MDWCA 115 8
WEST RIM MDWUA 113 1
VIGILS TRAILER PARK 105 6
VALDEZ MDWCA 100 0
EL RANCHO MHP TAOS 72 12
LAS HACIENDAS HOMEOWNERS WUA 72 6
EL VALLE DE LOS RANCHOS W & SD 48 0
LA LAMA MDWCA 45 3
EAGLE ROCK VILLAGE 35 13
BMG TRAILER PARK 30 22

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the environmental risk level in Taos, New Mexico? ▼
Taos, NM has an environmental risk score of 15/100 (Low Risk), based on 0 TRI facilities, 0 Superfund sites, and 34 water systems on record. 28 water systems have health-based violations. Source: EPA TRI, SDWIS, and Superfund NPL.
Are there Superfund sites in Taos? ▼
No Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) sites are currently registered in Taos, NM in the EPA database.
How many toxic release facilities are in Taos? ▼
Taos, NM has 0 TRI-reporting facilities on record with the EPA Toxic Release Inventory. TRI facilities self-report annual chemical release data to the EPA.
What is the air quality in Taos? ▼
In 2024, Taos, NM recorded a median AQI of 16 and a peak AQI of 76. 97% of monitored days had "Good" air quality (AQI 0–50). Source: EPA Air Quality System (AQS) Annual AQI by County.
Is the drinking water safe in Taos? ▼
Taos, NM has 34 EPA-regulated water systems. 28 systems have reported health-based violations (MCL exceedances). A past violation does not necessarily mean water is currently unsafe. For current water quality, contact your local water utility. Source: EPA SDWIS.
What environmental agencies cover Taos? ▼
Environmental compliance in Taos, New Mexico is overseen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at the federal level and the New Mexico state environmental agency. Facilities report to the EPA Toxic Release Inventory, water systems are regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act, and contaminated sites are managed under the Superfund program. Contact your state environmental agency for local concerns.

What does this county environmental profile show?

This county environmental profile rolls up EPA Toxics Release Inventory facility reports, Safe Drinking Water Information System public-water-system filings, and Superfund National Priorities List sites for the county boundary defined by the U.S. Census Bureau. Facility counts reflect facilities with a reporting address inside the county, not where downstream environmental effects may be observed. Population figures are from the most recent Census ACS 5-year estimate. The county detail page is updated whenever the upstream EPA programs publish revised data; see the methodology page for the documented ingest cadence and the editorial choices governing how aggregations are computed.

Related Guides

Understanding EPA Data
How EPA collects and publishes environmental data
Environmental Justice
Who lives near polluters and environmental hazards
How to Check Environmental Quality
Step-by-step guide to checking your local environment

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

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Data sourced from U.S. EPA environmental datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainEnviro Editorial