Living in San Rafael, NM: what to set up and who to call
An EPA health-based violation from 2024 is still open for San Rafael Water & Sanitation District. San Rafael has no town government of its own, so Cibola County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Grants-Cibola County Schools.
I’m new in town
What to set up in San Rafael, 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 San Rafael.
Power comes from Continental Divide El Coop
Continental Divide El Coop (Continental Divide El Coop Inc), a cooperative utility, serves all of San Rafael. Its homes paid an average of 16.9¢ per kWh in 2025, about $100 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 San Rafael Water & Sanitation District
San Rafael Water & Sanitation District supplies San Rafael: about 71% of residents live in its service area. About 28% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws ground water and serves 1,060 people in all.
9 health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a groundwater treatment requirement (Groundwater Rule) ×9, the latest beginning Jan 2024. 78% of the 7,966 systems serving 1,001–3,300 people had none. 1 older violation is still open, since 2024: a groundwater treatment requirement (Groundwater Rule), per EPA’s records.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2023–Dec 2025, 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. Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. NM3525833.
6 home internet providers serve San Rafael
56% of 674 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 56% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| CenturyLink | DSL | 60% | 40/3 |
| Red Bolt Broadband | Fiber | 53% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Ethos Broadband | Fixed wireless | 61% | 400/80 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 36% | 25/6 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 24% | 25/3 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 4% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have San Rafael’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in San Rafael.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
San Rafael is in Grants-Cibola County Schools.
CSchool 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
San Rafael is unincorporated, so Cibola County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Dec 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Aug 27, 2026.
San Rafael spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where San Rafael residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of San Rafael | ZIP’s residents in San Rafael |
|---|---|---|---|
| 87051 | San Rafael, NM | 74% | 99% |
| 87020 | Grants, NM | 26% | 3% |
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 San Rafael
Who supplies San Rafael’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
San Rafael Water & Sanitation District (EPA ID NM3525833). It reported 9 health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a groundwater treatment requirement (Groundwater Rule) ×9. 78% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 2.0 ppb (Jan 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in San Rafael?
Continental Divide El Coop (Continental Divide El Coop Inc), a cooperative utility. Its homes paid about 16.9¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve San Rafael?
CenturyLink, Red Bolt Broadband, Ethos Broadband, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in San Rafael?
87051 (74%), 87020 (26%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is San Rafael in?
Grants-Cibola County Schools.
How do I register to vote in San Rafael?
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 Cibola 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.