Otero County, NM
The federal environmental record for Otero County (population 68,835): what is on file, where it is, and what remains open. Sources and retrieval dates are on the methodology page.
0
Superfund NPL sites
7
federal cleanup sites
1
PFAS-detecting water systems
2
TRI facilities
30
open tank releases
Drinking water: PFAS testing
Public water systems serving Otero with at least one PFAS detection under UCMR5. The federal limit for PFOA and PFOS is 4 ng/L; EPA proposed in May 2026 to rescind the limits for the other compounds, which are shown for information.
| System | Highest results | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| ALAMOGORDO DOMESTIC WATER SYSTEM NM3513319 | PFOA: 7.4 ng/L | above final limit |
On a system with detections? Testing and treatment options
Facilities reporting toxic releases (2024)
2 facilities in Otero filed TRI reports for 2024, totalling 212k lb released.
| Facility | City | Top chemicals | Total released |
|---|---|---|---|
| US DOD USAF HOLLOMAN AFB | HOLLOMAN AFB | Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Xylene (mixed isomers) | 207k lb |
| US DOD USAF HOLLOMAN AFB RANGE | HOLLOMAN AFB | Lead | 5k lb |
Underground fuel tanks
EPA's UST Finder records 167 tank facilities in Otero: 70 tanks in service and 376 closed. 78 fuel releases are on record, of which 30 remain open. Open releases are cleanups that have not reached "no further action".
Radon
EPA maps Otero as Zone 2, moderate predicted indoor radon (2 to 4 pCi/L average). Radon and air quality are covered in depth on lung.com.
The record for one specific address
County figures blur what matters: distance. The Address Environmental Report runs these same federal datasets against one address and reports every site, tank, polluter and water result around it, with distances, in about a minute.
Get the report - $39All federal cleanup sites on file
The wider Superfund enterprise inventory (SEMS) for Otero, including sites assessed but never listed. Presence here records that EPA had reason to look, not a finding of danger.
- ALAMOGORDO PFAS SITEALAMOGORDO
- BLM-CHAPARRAL DUMPCHAPARRAL
- BLM-OROGRANDE LANDFILLORAGRANDE
- BLM-STANDARD TRANSPIPE CO.ALAMOGORDO
- HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASEHOLLOMAN AFB
- LINCOLN NF: HIGH ROLLS MINING DISTRICTHIGH ROLLS
- WHITE SANDS BOULEVARD AND 8TH STREET SITEALAMOGORDO