Photo: Matthew.kowal · CC BY-SA 4.0Living in South Valley, NM: what to set up and who to call
South Valley has no town government of its own, so Bernalillo County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Albuquerque Public Schools. The closest public drop-off to South Valley is Don Reservoir Convenience Center, 5 miles out; the town decides whether residents may use it.
I’m new in town
What to set up in South Valley, 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 South Valley.
Power comes from PNM
PNM (Public Service Co. of New Mexico), an investor-owned utility, serves all of South Valley. Its homes paid an average of 16.4¢ per kWh in 2025, about $91 a month (its average across New Mexico).
Start or move service: pnmresources.com
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Albuquerque Water System
Albuquerque Water System supplies South Valley: about 86% of residents live in its service area. About 10% 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 560,326 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 93% of the 42 systems serving 500,001–1,000,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2022–Dec 2024, was 0.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 2.0 ppb. Results below detection are reported as 0, so 0 doesn’t mean no lead at any tap.
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. NM3510701.
8 home internet providers serve South Valley
99% of 13,498 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 0% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable | 96% | 2,000/250 |
| CenturyLink | DSL, Fiber | 64% | 100/10 |
| Lobo Internet Services | Fixed wireless | 100% | 100/80 |
| Internet Services | Fixed wireless | 97% | 10/1 |
| NMSurf | Fixed wireless | 73% | 200/50 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 53% | 300/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
The nearest public drop-off is 5 miles away
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in South Valley.
Don Reservoir Convenience Center
117 114th Street Southwest, Albuquerque, NM, 87121 · run by City of Albuquerque
This isn’t South Valley’s own facility. Whether South Valley residents may use it is the town’s rule: check the town’s office.
OpenStreetMap, as of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
South Valley is in Albuquerque Public Schools.
C+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
South Valley is unincorporated, so Bernalillo 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.
South Valley spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where South Valley residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of South Valley | ZIP’s residents in South Valley |
|---|---|---|---|
| 87105 | Albuquerque, NM | 99% | 70% |
| 87121 | Albuquerque, NM | 1% | 1% |
A few homes fall in 87102.
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.
Train: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors). ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in South Valley
Who supplies South Valley’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Albuquerque Water System (EPA ID NM3510701). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 93% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 0.0 ppb (Jan 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in South Valley?
PNM (Public Service Co. of New Mexico), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 16.4¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve South Valley?
Xfinity, CenturyLink, Lobo Internet Services, Internet Services, NMSurf, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in South Valley?
87105 (99%), 87121 (1%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is South Valley in?
Albuquerque Public Schools.
How do I register to vote in South Valley?
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 Bernalillo 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.