Governance and Status of New Mexico\u27s Rural Drinking Water Systems

This research project examines aspects of rural drinking water systems across New Mexico, specifically how they are governed, who manages them, and what their needs and concerns are. For the qualitative portion of this mixed methods project, I interview managers of rural drinking water systems to get their perspective on current issues and to learn how their systems are managed. For the quantitative portion, I look at the spatial distribution of different characteristics of drinking water systems using data from the New Mexico Environment Department and US Census. I especially look at the distribution of their organizational structures and how system characteristics relate to demographic information. The goal of this ongoing project is to get a better understanding of the status of rural drinking water systems in New Mexico and to get water managers\u27 thoughts on how governance can improve in order to ensure safe drinking water for New Mexico residents into the future