Living in Santa Cruz, NM: what to set up and who to call
An EPA health-based violation from 2022 is still open for Santa Cruz Water Association, and its latest lead result (6.0 ppb) was higher than 93% of similar systems’, though under the 15 ppb action level. Santa Cruz has no town government of its own, so Santa Fe County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Española Municipal Schools.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Santa Cruz, 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 Santa Cruz.
Power comes from Jemez Mountains Elec Coop
Jemez Mountains Elec Coop (Jemez Mountains Elec Coop, Inc), a cooperative utility, serves all of Santa Cruz. 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 Santa Cruz Water Association
Santa Cruz Water Association supplies almost all of Santa Cruz. It draws ground water and serves 394 people in all.
25 health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026: uranium ×18, a groundwater treatment requirement (Groundwater Rule) ×6, a lead and copper treatment requirement (Lead and Copper Rule Revisions), the latest beginning Apr 2026. 77% of the 15,074 systems serving 101–500 people had none. 1 older violation is still open, since 2022: a groundwater treatment requirement (Groundwater Rule), per EPA’s records.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan–Jun 2026, was 6.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 93% 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. NM3572926.
Which providers serve Santa Cruz
This card will list the home internet providers the FCC’s National Broadband Map shows in Santa Cruz, the share of addresses that can get 100/20 Mbps and the share with fiber, with the map’s “as of” date.
Source to come: FCC Broadband Data Collection.
We don’t have Santa Cruz’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Santa Cruz.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Santa Cruz is in Española Municipal 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.
No town hall: the county runs things
Santa Cruz is unincorporated, so Santa Fe 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.
Santa Cruz spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Santa Cruz residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Santa Cruz | ZIP’s residents in Santa Cruz |
|---|---|---|---|
| 87532 | Espanola, NM | 51% | 1% |
| 87567 | Santa Cruz, NM | 49% | 16% |
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 Santa Cruz
Who supplies Santa Cruz’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Santa Cruz Water Association (EPA ID NM3572926). It reported 25 health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026: uranium ×18, a groundwater treatment requirement (Groundwater Rule) ×6, a lead and copper treatment requirement (Lead and Copper Rule Revisions). 77% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 6.0 ppb (Jan–Jun 2026), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Santa Cruz?
Jemez Mountains Elec Coop (Jemez Mountains Elec Coop, Inc), a cooperative utility. Its homes paid about 15.8¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What ZIP codes are in Santa Cruz?
87532 (51%), 87567 (49%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Santa Cruz in?
Española Municipal Schools.
How do I register to vote in Santa Cruz?
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 Santa Fe 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): pending.