Drinking water quality · 2024
· Verified
What's in Tucson, AZ tap water
16 contaminants were measured in the Tucson, AZ water system's 2024 annual report. Each is shown below against its federal limit.
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Contaminants measured
- 16
- Over federal limit
- 0
- Approaching the limit
- 0
- Service area
- AZ
PFAS — EPA UCMR5 (2023–2025)
2 PFAS compounds detected in Tucson, AZ
The EPA finalized the first-ever federal drinking-water limits for six PFAS compounds in April 2024. These numbers come straight from EPA's UCMR5 lab dataset — every U.S. system serving more than 3,300 people tested every PFAS sample at an entry point to its distribution system. PFAS not listed below were either tested and not detected, or not yet sampled.
PFBA
● Detected (no federal limit)below national p90 (18 ng/L across detecting U.S. systems)
Lithium
● Detected (no federal limit)near national p90 (76.59999999999991 mg/L across detecting U.S. systems)
Where your water comes from · EPA SDWIS
Tucson, AZ's drinking water comes from ground water, drawn from 155 sources.
Source
- WL-55-238241 - C-120B
- WL-55-235179
- WL-55-236265 - C-117B
- WL-55-513567 - D-065A
- + 151 more
Treatment
- TP212 - CL2
- TP214 - CL2
- TP203 - CL2
- + 122 more
Distribution
Also buys water from MARANA MUNICIPAL - PICTURE ROCKS.
Historical readings · EPA Six-Year Review (2012–2019)
23 historically-detected contaminants in Tucson, AZ
Every U.S. public water system reports compliance-monitoring data to EPA. The Six-Year Review releases the 2012–2019 window as a single dataset — here's what your system reported, year by year. Values shown are the highest detection per analyte per year, compared to the federal MCL.
| Contaminant | Worst detection | EPA limit | Years (2012–2019) |
|---|---|---|---|
ARSENIC worst: 2013 | 0.008 mg/L 80% near national p90 | 0.01 mg/L | '13'16'19 |
NITRATE worst: 2015 | 7.89 mg/L within | 10 mg/L | '12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19 |
DEHP worst: 2016 | 0.0044 mg/L within | 0.006 mg/L | '16'19 |
NITRATE NITRITE worst: 2013 | 6.4 mg/L within | 10 mg/L | '13'16'19 |
TTHM worst: 2014 | 0.048 mg/L within | 0.08 mg/L | '12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19 |
TCE worst: 2016 | 0.0025 mg/L within | 0.005 mg/L | '13'16'17'19 |
ANTIMONY worst: 2019 | 0.0018 mg/L within near national p90 | 0.006 mg/L | '19 |
FLUORIDE worst: 2016 | 1.17 mg/L within | 4 mg/L | '13'16'19 |
RADIUM 226 228 worst: 2016 | 1.3 pCi/L within below national p90 | 5 pCi/L | '13'16 |
GROSS ALPHA worst: 2016 | 3.9 pCi/L within | 15 pCi/L | '13'16'17'19 |
DICHLOROETHYLENE 11 worst: 2016 | 0.0018 mg/L within below national p90 | 0.007 mg/L | '16 |
HAA5 worst: 2014 | 0.011 mg/L within | 0.06 mg/L | '12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19 |
SELENIUM worst: 2016 | 0.00618 mg/L within | 0.05 mg/L | '13'16'19 |
PENTACHLOROPHENOL worst: 2019 | 0.00012 mg/L within | 0.001 mg/L | '19 |
BARIUM worst: 2016 | 0.157 mg/L within near national p90 | 2 mg/L | '13'16'19 |
CYANIDE worst: 2019 | 0.0091 mg/L within below national p90 | 0.2 mg/L | '19 |
ATRAZINE worst: 2019 | 0.00011 mg/L within below national p90 | 0.003 mg/L | '13'16'19 |
SIMAZINE worst: 2015 | 0.00011 mg/L within | 0.004 mg/L | '12'13'14'15'16'17 |
ETHYLBENZENE worst: 2013 | 0.0011 mg/L within | 0.7 mg/L | '13 |
XYLENES TOTAL worst: 2013 | 0.008 mg/L within | 10 mg/L | '12'13 |
URANIUM worst: 2016 | 0.0226 ug/L within above national p90 | 30 ug/L | '13'16'17'19 |
COPPER worst: 2014 | 0.286 mg/L below national p90 | — | '14'17 |
LEAD worst: 2014 | 0.00212 mg/L | — | '14'17 |
Radionuclides
| Contaminant | Measured | Federal limit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Combined RadiumCombined radium-226 and radium-228 — naturally occurring radioactive elements. | 0–2.5 pCi/LRangeSystem-wide | 5 pCi/LMCL | Within the limit |
Disinfectants
| Contaminant | Measured | Federal limit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChlorineA disinfectant added to drinking water to kill bacteria and viruses. | 1 mg/LAverageAnnual | 4 mg/LMRDL | Within the limit |
VOCs & pesticides
| Contaminant | Measured | Federal limit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| TrichloroethyleneAn industrial solvent (TCE) used in metal degreasing. | 0–1.16 ug/LRangeSystem-wide | 10 ug/LMCL | Within the limit |
Metals
| Contaminant | Measured | Federal limit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| SodiumA naturally occurring salt component. | 24.5–40.8 mg/LRangeSystem-wide | None set | Detected — no federal limit |
People also ask about Tucson, AZ's water
+Is Tucson, AZ tap water safe to drink in 2024?
Every one of the 16 contaminants measured in Tucson, AZ's 2024 Consumer Confidence Report is below its federal limit. "Safe" under the EPA's drinking-water standards is health-based, not aesthetic — but by those standards, no measured contaminant in this report exceeds its enforceable threshold. Individual health concerns (e.g. immunocompromised, infant, pregnancy) may warrant additional filtering regardless of compliance.
+What contaminants are in Tucson, AZ tap water?
16 contaminants were measured in Tucson, AZ's 2024 Consumer Confidence Report, spanning metals, radionuclides, and disinfection byproducts. 14 have an enforceable federal limit; the rest are detected but unregulated. Every measured value, in the utility's own units, is on this page.
+Where does the data on this page come from?
Every value is transcribed from Tucson, AZ's 2024 Consumer Confidence Report — the annual drinking-water report every U.S. public water utility is required by federal law to publish. The original source document is archived and viewable on this site. A water-quality report covers an entire service area, not a single address.
+How often is Tucson, AZ's water quality data updated?
Each U.S. public water utility publishes one Consumer Confidence Report per year, covering the prior calendar year's measurements. This page reflects the 2024 report; a new report will replace it once the utility publishes its next annual update.