Las Cruces
Las Cruces, NM water profile — supply sources, drought status, wastewater reuse, and the key water issues facing the city.
las cruces municipal water system
groundwater (wells) · local government · PWSID NM3511707
Below EPA's 15 ppb lead action level at last testing.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) · 2026 Q1
Las Cruces is a mid-sized city and the 2nd-largest in New Mexico, home to roughly 101,643 residents. Las Cruces's drinking water comes largely from the same regional sources that serve New Mexico: Rio Grande, Pecos River, and groundwater.
As elsewhere in New Mexico, the central challenge is drought. Chronic Rio Grande shortfalls and a produced-water reuse debate make New Mexico a proving ground for arid-state policy.
New Mexico reuses an estimated 18% of its treated wastewater and maintains developing reuse programs; Las Cruces tracks severe to extreme drought conditions on the U.S. Drought Monitor scale.
Explore the New Mexico profile for statewide context, or dig into the water issues shaping Las Cruces below.
Dona Ana County water quality
Source: EPA SDWIS · 2026 Q1
At a glance
- Population ~101,643 (2nd-largest in New Mexico)
- Primary sources: Rio Grande, Pecos River, and groundwater
- Drought: severe to extreme conditions
- State reuse rate: ~18% of wastewater
Statewide drought history
% of New Mexico in severe+ drought (Extreme (D3) now).
Source: U.S. Drought Monitor
Common questions
Is tap water safe in Las Cruces?
Las Cruces's largest water system, LAS CRUCES MUNICIPAL WATER SYSTEM, serves about 98,175 people. EPA records show 3 health-based violation(s) since 2016 and a most-recent 90th-percentile lead level of 2 ppb (EPA action level is 15 ppb). Always check your own provider's annual Consumer Confidence Report.
Where does Las Cruces get its water?
LAS CRUCES MUNICIPAL WATER SYSTEM draws primarily from groundwater (wells), part of New Mexico's supply from Rio Grande, Pecos River, groundwater.
Related water issues
Drought
Much of the American West is in a multi-decade dry period that researchers describe as the most severe in over a millennium, reshaping how communities plan for water.
ExploreColorado River
The river that supplies 40 million people has lost roughly a fifth of its flow since 2000, forcing a renegotiation of how seven states share the water.
ExploreGroundwater Depletion
Aquifers from the Central Valley to the Ogallala are being pumped faster than they recharge, causing land subsidence and threatening long-term supply.
ExplorePotable Reuse
Advanced purification turns treated wastewater into water that meets or exceeds drinking-water standards — increasingly essential in water-stressed regions.
Explore