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Elias Gallegos General StorePhoto: Ufgallegos · CC BY-SA 4.0
The La Madera handbook

Living in La Madera, NM: what to set up and who to call

An EPA health-based violation from 2024 is still open for the La Madera Mdwca water system. La Madera has no town government of its own, so Rio Arriba County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Mesa Vista Consolidated Schools.

La Madera has no town government. It’s a census-designated place in Rio Arriba County, so the county and regional agencies provide most services. This page answers what we can; the same answers appear on La Madera’s town page under “Getting set up”.

I’m new in town

What to set up in La Madera, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.

Home services

Power, water and internet

Who to call to start service at a new address in La Madera.

Electricity

Power comes from Jemez Mountains Elec Coop

Jemez Mountains Elec Coop (Jemez Mountains Elec Coop, Inc), a cooperative utility, serves all of La Madera. Its homes paid an average of 15.8¢ per kWh in 2025, about $90 a month (its average across New Mexico).

Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.

Drinking water · reported to EPA

Water comes from La Madera Mdwca water system

The La Madera Mdwca water system supplies La Madera: about 86% of residents live in its service area. Ancones Mdwwca serves another 15%. It draws ground water and serves 124 people in all.

1 health-based violation reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a groundwater treatment requirement (Groundwater Rule), beginning Aug 2024. 77% of the 15,074 systems serving 101–500 people had none. 1 older violation is still open, since 2024: a groundwater treatment requirement (Groundwater Rule), per EPA’s records.

Lead, 90th percentile3.7 ppb
015 ppb action level20

The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2023–Dec 2025, was 3.7 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 86% 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. Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. NM3502121.

Internet

2 home internet providers serve La Madera

82% of 70 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 76% can get fiber.

ProviderTechnologyAddressesFastest (Mbps)
Kit Carson InternetFiber73%1,000/1,000
Valor Telecommunications of TexasDSL40%200/20

FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.

Trash & recycling

We don’t have La Madera’s trash rules yet

Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in La Madera.

Trash, recycling and bulk pickupNot on fileLa Madera has no town government of its own, so look for trash and recycling rules on the county’s site.
Schools

Where your child goes to school

Public school districts and the school path by grade.

La Madera kids go to
PK–3El Rito Elementaryin El Rito
7–8Mesa Vista Middlein Ojo Caliente
9–12Mesa Vista Highin Ojo Caliente

La Madera is in Mesa Vista Consolidated Schools.

Test scores and every school: see Schools →

U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.

Government & voting

No town hall: the county runs things

La Madera is unincorporated, so Rio Arriba County is the local government.

Local governmentRio Arriba CountyLa Madera is a census-designated place: no town hall of its ownCensus
Who runs elections hereRio Arriba County ClerkElections here are run by Rio Arriba County (county election office). P.O. Box 158, Tierra Amarilla, NM 87575 · (575) 588-7724 · [email protected]FVAP, Mar 2023
Register to voteOnlineIn 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).vote.govCheck your registration and polling placevoterportal.servis.sos.state.nm.usThe state’s voter lookup

Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Mar 2023; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Aug 27, 2026.

ZIP codes & area codes

La Madera is in ZIP code 87539

ZIP codes where La Madera residents live, with the share of the town in each.

ZIPPost office nameShare of La MaderaZIP’s residents in La Madera
87539La Madera, NM100%49%

Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.

Everyday places

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 La Madera

Who supplies La Madera’s drinking water, and has it had violations?

The La Madera Mdwca water system (EPA ID NM3502121). It reported 1 health-based violation to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a groundwater treatment requirement (Groundwater Rule). 77% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 3.7 ppb (Jan 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.

Who provides electricity in La Madera?

Jemez Mountains Elec Coop (Jemez Mountains Elec Coop, Inc), a cooperative utility. Its homes paid about 15.8¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).

What internet providers serve La Madera?

Kit Carson Internet, Valor Telecommunications of Texas (FCC, as of December 2025).

What ZIP codes are in La Madera?

87539. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.

What school district is La Madera in?

Mesa Vista Consolidated Schools.

How do I register to vote in La Madera?

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.