Living in La Plata, NM: what to set up and who to call
La Plata has no town government of its own, so San Juan County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Farmington Municipal Schools. Tap water in most of La Plata comes from Upper La Plata Water Users Association, which has a clean five-year EPA record (about 22% of systems its size had a health-based violation) and a latest lead result of 0.6 ppb.
I’m new in town
What to set up in La Plata, 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 La Plata.
Power comes from Jemez Mountains Elec Coop
Jemez Mountains Elec Coop (Jemez Mountains Elec Coop, Inc), a cooperative utility, serves all of La Plata. 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.
Water comes from Upper La Plata Water Users Association
Upper La Plata Water Users Association supplies La Plata: about 87% of residents live in its service area. About 13% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It buys treated surface water (EPA lists Lower Valley Water Users Association as seller) and serves 2,265 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 2022–Dec 2024, was 0.6 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s lower than 58% 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. NM3510624.
7 home internet providers serve La Plata
73% of 831 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 0% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| CenturyLink | DSL | 73% | 80/10 |
| Xfinity | Cable | 38% | 1,200/35 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 54% | 100/20 |
| Ethos Broadband | Fixed wireless | 29% | 100/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 19% | 100/20 |
| Nimbus Solutions | Fixed wireless | 18% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
La Plata has its own drop-off: La Plata Dump Station
Where to take trash and recycling in La Plata, and where the rules are.
La Plata Dump Station
Before you go, check the rules with the town.
OpenStreetMap, as of Oct 9, 2026 (last edited Oct 2024). © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
La Plata is in Farmington Municipal Schools.
BSchool 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
La Plata is unincorporated, so San Juan County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Aug 2019; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Aug 27, 2026.
La Plata spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where La Plata residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of La Plata | ZIP’s residents in La Plata |
|---|---|---|---|
| 87401 | Farmington, NM | 51% | 2% |
| 87418 | La Plata, NM | 49% | 98% |
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 La Plata
Who supplies La Plata’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Upper La Plata Water Users Association (EPA ID NM3510624). 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 0.6 ppb (Jan 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in La Plata?
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 Plata?
CenturyLink, Xfinity, AT&T, Ethos Broadband, T-Mobile, Nimbus Solutions (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in La Plata?
87401 (51%), 87418 (49%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is La Plata in?
Farmington Municipal Schools.
How do I register to vote in La Plata?
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 San Juan 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.