Town of Bernalillo · Sandoval County
The town treats its own well water. Knowing what that treatment already handles makes it much easier to see what, if anything, your home still needs.
Arsenic is a natural part of the geology in much of the Middle Rio Grande region, and regulated systems are required to treat it to the federal limit. Bernalillo handles that at the plant with iron-based pressure filters, which is a serious piece of infrastructure for a town this size. The hypochlorite step then keeps the water disinfected on its way through the mains, from the houses along Camino del Pueblo out to the newer subdivisions.
That process is built to remove arsenic and disinfect. It isn't designed to soften. Calcium and magnesium dissolved from the aquifer can pass right through, and so can the disinfectant residual that's supposed to be there. Those are the two things Bernalillo homeowners tend to notice day to day: mineral buildup on fixtures and appliances, and the faint pool-like smell of chlorine in a hot shower.
Neither is a health problem. Both are fixable. A water softener in Bernalillo handles the minerals, whole-home carbon filtration takes the edge off the chlorine taste and odor, and a reverse osmosis system under the kitchen sink is for people who want their drinking water as low in dissolved solids as they can get it.
Outside town limits?
Some properties around Bernalillo aren't on the town system. If you're on a private well, nobody treats it but you. We'll do the on-site test and help you get lab testing for bacteria, nitrate and arsenic before talking about equipment.
Signs worth a test
A chalky layer that comes back a week after you descale is a strong hint of hardness.
That's the disinfectant doing its job. Carbon can make it far less noticeable.
Desert air plus mineral-heavy water is rough on skin and hair, especially in winter.
Bernalillo has everything from historic homes near the Coronado Historic Site and the old main street to newer houses on the edges of town. Older homes sometimes have the water heater tucked into a utility closet with tight clearances; newer ones usually put it in the garage. Our own installers look at the plumbing during the test visit and tell you where the system will go before you commit to anything.
Book the Free TestFree installation and a lifetime warranty on every package. More detail on the packages page.
48,000-grain whole-home water softener
Softener + chlorine/chloramine filtration in one tank
Softener + filtration + RO drinking water + alkaline
Financing from $59/mo with approved credit. Final price confirmed after your free water test — no surprises, no hidden fees.
Yes. The town's water quality report describes a pressure-filter system using ferric chloride to remove naturally occurring arsenic, with sodium hypochlorite for disinfection. Check the town's annual report for current figures.
Arsenic treatment and disinfection aren't softening. Hardness minerals can still reach your tap, and those are what cause scale. Our free test shows whether that's the case at your address.
No. They're separate utilities with separate wells and separate treatment. The two systems have an emergency connection, but day to day Bernalillo homes get Bernalillo's water.
About 15 minutes at your kitchen sink, with results in real time and a printed plain-English report.
A 15-minute on-site test with results in real time, a plain-English report, and an honest recommendation. No pressure, no obligation.
