Living in Dulce, NM: what to set up and who to call
Dulce has no town government of its own, so Rio Arriba County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Dulce Independent Schools. Power in Dulce comes from Northern Rio Arriba E Coop, a cooperative utility rather than a private company.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Dulce, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.
Power, water and internet
Who to call to start service at a new address in Dulce.
Power comes from Northern Rio Arriba E Coop
Northern Rio Arriba E Coop (Northern Rio Arriba E Coop Inc), a cooperative utility, serves all of Dulce.
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Jicarilla Dulce water system
The Jicarilla Dulce water system supplies Dulce: about 82% of residents live in its service area. About 18% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws surface water and serves 3,064 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 78% of the 7,966 systems serving 1,001–3,300 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2021–Dec 2023, was 2.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 69% of similar systems’ latest results.
The system’s full record: EPA ECHO report
EPA SDWIS via Envirofacts (violations pulled Oct 9, 2026) and ECHO (lead samples, 2026Q3); service area: EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3.0 (EPA’s estimate). Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. 063500006.
4 home internet providers serve Dulce
99% of 1,073 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 0% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valor Telecommunications of Texas | DSL | 92% | 100/20 |
| Ethos Broadband | Fixed wireless | 98% | 400/80 |
| Jicarilla Apache Nation Power Authority | Fixed wireless | 98% | 25/10 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 56% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Dulce’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Dulce.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Dulce is in Dulce Independent Schools.
D−School gradeSee Schools →U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.
No town hall: the county runs things
Dulce is unincorporated, so Rio Arriba County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Mar 2023; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Aug 27, 2026.
Dulce is in ZIP code 87528
ZIP codes where Dulce residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Dulce | ZIP’s residents in Dulce |
|---|---|---|---|
| 87528 | Dulce, NM | 100% | 77% |
Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.
Getting around, the ER and the library
One line each; the subject pages have the rest.
ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Dulce
Who supplies Dulce’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Jicarilla Dulce water system (EPA ID 063500006). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 78% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 2.0 ppb (Jan 2021–Dec 2023), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Dulce?
Northern Rio Arriba E Coop (Northern Rio Arriba E Coop Inc), a cooperative utility.
What internet providers serve Dulce?
Valor Telecommunications of Texas, Ethos Broadband, Jicarilla Apache Nation Power Authority, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Dulce?
87528. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Dulce in?
Dulce Independent Schools.
How do I register to vote in Dulce?
In New Mexico you can register online until 28 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 28 days before). Elections here are run by the Rio Arriba County Clerk. Check your registration at voterportal.servis.sos.state.nm.us.
Sources & dates
Every answer above names its source. Here they are with their dates.
- Water: EPA SDWIS (Envirofacts, pulled Oct 9, 2026), ECHO SDWA 2026Q3, EPA CWS Service Area Boundaries v3.0.
- Power: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map Aug 2023); EIA-861 final 2025.
- Trash: OpenStreetMap, Geofabrik extract of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
- ZIP codes: Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files; GeoNames postal codes (CC BY 4.0).
- Schools: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25.
- Registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 27, 2026 (read Oct 10, 2026). Official sites and area codes: Wikidata.
- Election office: FVAP local election office directory (fetched Oct 10, 2026; each record dated), EAC EAVS 2024 jurisdictions; registration and lookup links from vote.gov’s state data, checked Oct 10, 2026.
- Internet: FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025.