Is New Mexico’s Drinking Water Safe

On By The.Daily.ChristianIn New Mexico, New Mexico Survival Prepper, Uncategorized

Let’s not sugarcoat this like the government and those soft-gloved bureaucrats love to do: New Mexico’s drinking water is in deep trouble. If you’re one of those folks still trusting what flows out of your tap, then you might as well be guzzling chemical sludge with a smile. Because what’s really dripping into your glass? Arsenic, PFAS, uranium, nitrates, and God knows what else. You’re not drinking “clean” water—you’re sipping on a cocktail of slow death.

I’ve lived off-grid, off the land, and away from the blind comfort of water bills and false assurances. So listen up. I’ve studied New Mexico’s terrain, water tables, aquifers, and contamination reports, and I’m telling you—you’ve got to be your own damn filtration plant. You think the state’s going to rescue you when the next drought hits or the water main gets fouled up again? Hell no. They’ll hand out a flyer and say “boil your water.” You better be ready to survive, not panic.

What’s Really in New Mexico’s Water?

Let me tell you why I’m sounding the alarm.

  • Arsenic levels in many New Mexico wells exceed EPA limits—and arsenic doesn’t just “go away” when you boil your water.
  • The Rio Grande, which supplies water to many, gets choked by agricultural runoff, bacteria, and who-knows-what dumped upstream.
  • PFAS chemicals—you know, the “forever chemicals” they use in Teflon—have been detected in areas like Clovis and Cannon Air Force Base.
  • Old infrastructure in cities like Albuquerque and Las Cruces leaks lead and copper into drinking lines.
  • On top of it all, droughts and overpumping are sucking aquifers dry. What’s left? Concentrated contaminants.

Now tell me: Do you trust a faucet?

If you’ve got an ounce of common sense, you’ll want to learn how to filter your own water, treat it like your life depends on it—because it does.

15 Water Filtration Survival Skills That Will Keep You Breathing

These aren’t cute camping tips. These are battle-tested skills you’d better master if you want to make it through drought, contamination, or straight-up infrastructure failure.

  1. Boiling – The bare minimum. Bring water to a rolling boil for at least 1 minute. At high altitudes in NM? Make it 3 minutes.
  2. Charcoal Layering – Make a DIY filter with activated charcoal. Absorbs chemicals and odors—vital when you’re pulling water from a foul-smelling source.
  3. Sand & Gravel Filter – Layer gravel, sand, and charcoal in a container. Nature’s filter—simple but effective.
  4. Solar Still Construction – Dig a pit, use clear plastic, collect evaporated water. Slow but pure.
  5. DIY Berkey-Style Gravity Filter – Two buckets, two Black Berkey elements, a spigot. Assemble and filter gallons a day—off-grid gold.
  6. Bleach Disinfection – 8 drops of regular unscented bleach per gallon of water. Wait 30 minutes. Kill pathogens dead.
  7. Iodine Tablets – Lightweight, effective, tastes like chemical warfare—but safe water is better than diarrhea.
  8. UV Light Pen (Steripen) – Kills viruses, bacteria, protozoa. Use in clear water only, not murky slop.
  9. Pre-Filtration – Always pre-filter with a bandana or coffee filter to remove sediment before treating water.
  10. Moss Filtering – In emergencies, tightly packed moss can filter sediment and trap bacteria. Rinse, rotate, and replace often.
  11. Clay Pot Filtration – Traditional technique that works. Unglazed pots slowly seep filtered water out—great for heavy metals.
  12. Aquatabs or Chlorine Dioxide Tabs – Lightweight and powerful. Get rid of Giardia, E. coli, and other nasties.
  13. Pressure Filter Systems (LifeSaver Jerrycan or MSR Guardian) – Hardcore, expedition-grade. Filters viruses too.
  14. Slow Drip Bio-Sand Filter – A long-term survival filter that improves with use. Requires setup time but excellent for off-grid living.
  15. Water Source Scouting – Not a tool, a mindset. Learn how to read terrain, find clean springs, avoid agricultural runoff zones, and test water with portable kits.

These skills aren’t optional—they’re essential.

3 DIY Survival Drinking Water Hacks You Should Tattoo On Your Brain

Now for the real-deal MacGyver tricks. Don’t rely on REI or Walmart. You need to be able to scrape survival out of rocks if needed.

1. The T-Shirt Water Bucket Trick

You’ve got dirty pond water and a clean container. Stretch a T-shirt over the clean container’s mouth. Slowly pour the dirty water through the shirt. This catches large particulates and sediment. It’s not perfect, but it buys you time until you can boil or chemically treat the water.

2. Plastic Bottle UV Purification (SODIS Method)

Fill clear PET bottles with clear water (filtered for debris first). Lay them in the sun for 6+ hours. UV rays will kill most bacteria and viruses. Works best on hot days in open areas—aka New Mexico in July. Free energy. Minimal effort. Just remember—this doesn’t remove chemicals.

3. Emergency Rainwater Harvesting Rig

Got a tarp, trash bags, or even an old poncho? Tie corners up to trees or stakes, create a dip in the middle to funnel water into a container. Collect rain—it’s usually cleaner than anything coming out of a faucet these days. Filter or boil it if you can, but in a pinch, it’s safer than well water in some counties.

You Think the Government Will Warn You?

You know what’s funny? In a grim, rage-inducing way?

In 2022, parts of New Mexico were issued “Do Not Drink” orders AFTER contaminants were found in drinking water. AFTER. Not a proactive alert—reactive damage control. They wait until people get sick, then issue a PDF buried on some county website.

If you’re sitting there, nodding and saying, “I’ll just buy a Brita,” you’re part of the problem. Brita filters won’t remove PFAS, arsenic, or viruses. You need real gear. Or better yet—real knowledge.

Here’s What You Do Right Now

  1. Get a water test kit and test your home supply.
  2. Stock up on filters—don’t wait for the next wildfire or drought.
  3. Learn at least 5 of the filtration skills above, even if you live in the city.
  4. Start collecting rainwater—it’s legal in NM, and it’s damn smart.
  5. Store water. You want 1 gallon per person per day, for a minimum of 30 days.

This isn’t fearmongering. It’s survival realism.

New Mexico is a beautiful, rugged place—but she’s not forgiving. When your well runs dry or your tap runs brown, you’ll wish you’d listened. Don’t count on the city. Don’t count on the EPA. Count on yourself.

Water is life—and right now, life in New Mexico is under siege. You’d better fight like hell to protect yours.

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