Socorro Mission Number 1 Colonia Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

Socorro (Mission Number 1 Colonia), Texas, in El Paso County — a major west Texas El Paso Lower Valley community (Socorro is a significant El Paso County city in the Lower Valley of the El Paso metro area; the Socorro area includes the Socorro Mission (La Purisima Concepcion de Nuestra Senora de Socorro — one of the oldest continuously used churches in the United States, established as a Spanish mission in 1682 along the Rio Grande; the original Socorro Mission was destroyed by flooding and rebuilt multiple times; the current Socorro Mission structure dates to 1843 and is one of the most historically significant Spanish Colonial missions in Texas; it is part of the El Paso Mission Trail)); Socorro is a predominantly Hispanic-American community in the El Paso Lower Valley — one of the most historically and culturally significant Rio Grande valley communities in Texas, with deep New Mexican Pueblo and Spanish Colonial heritage — draws its municipal water supply via the El Paso Water Utilities. Water hardness in Socorro measures 353 mg/L — classified as extremely hard.

Socorro's extreme hardness reflects the west Texas El Paso County Hueco Bolson closed-basin evaporite aquifer's highly calcareous character. The Hueco Bolson Basin draws from Quaternary calcareous Hueco Bolson alluvium and blended Rio Grande (highly calcareous). Very limited softening produces the extreme 353 mg/L.

At 353 mg/L, Socorro residents face severe hard water challenges. Water softeners and regular appliance descaling are essential. El Paso Water Utilities consistently delivers water meeting all Texas TCEQ and EPA Safe Drinking Water Act requirements.