Is Phoenix, AZ tap water safe?
Supplied by City of Phoenix · serves 1.7 million people (430,118 connections) · Surface water · EPA ID AZ0407025
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Most of Phoenix gets its water from City of Phoenix. Parts of the city are served by 8 smaller systems: EPCOR – North East Agua Fria (14,723 people), Rose Valley Water Company (6,202 people), Federal Correction Institution Water System (1,500 people), Adjc Adobe Mountain School Water System (680 people) and 4 more. Your water bill names your system.
Buys water from EPCOR – Anthem, City of Tempe, City of Glendale. Treated water bought from another system can carry that system's contaminants.
Summary
No federal limits exceeded in EPA data.
- PFAS
- Detected, below limit2 of 29 PFAS found at least once. All averages below the federal limits.
- Lithium
- Above screening levelHighest result 160 ppb. EPA uses 10 ppb to decide what to study further. It is not a health limit, and there is no federal limit for lithium. About 1 in 4 systems tested were above it.
- Lead
- Below action level2.74 ppb (parts per billion) at the 90th percentile: 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below it. Action level 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb in Nov 2027. Monitoring period ending Dec 2024. Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- Violations
- Resolved1 health-based violation since 2016, most recently Jan 2021. One required an urgent public notice within 24 hours (the kind behind boil-water notices), most recently Jan 2021. What to do if you get a notice.
- Built before 1986, or not sure what your service line is made of? Check your service line and test your tap. Utility data can't show your pipes.
- Got a boil-water or do-not-drink notice? What each notice means and what to do.
- Tested your own tap? Compare your result with these numbers. Moving? Compare this system with another.
- Read City of Phoenix's water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report, from the utility). It lists every regulated contaminant tested, including ones not on this page. Questions: (602) 256-5658.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 21 entry points tested Jan 2023 to Dec 2023. "Average" is the highest entry-point average (non-detects counted as zero), the way EPA compares UCMR 5 results to the limits. ppt = parts per trillion. These results do not determine compliance.
| Contaminant | Highest average |
|---|---|
| PFOA Not detected Limit 4 ppt | – |
| PFOS Not detected Limit 4 ppt | – |
| PFHxS Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| PFNA Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| HFPO-DA (GenX) Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| Hazard Index (a combined score for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and PFBS, where above 1 is over the limit) Detected, below limit Limit 1 | 0.0054 |
| PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt | 10.8 ppt |
| PFBA Detected, below limit Guideline 6,000 ppt | 3.75 ppt |
| PFHxA Not detected Guideline 3,000 ppt | – |
29 PFAS tested, 2 detected at least once. "Not detected" means below EPA's reporting limit (about 2 to 20 ppt depending on the chemical), not proven zero. PFAS not listed were not detected. The limits for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and the Hazard Index were proposed for rescission in May 2026. That proposal is not final. Systems have until 2029 to meet the limits.
Lithium
Detected in 53 of 53 samples. Highest result 160 ppb. EPA's non-enforceable screening level is 10 ppb. Above screening level The screening level is how EPA decides what to study further, not a health limit. There is no federal limit for lithium and no filter is certified to remove it. About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 2.74 ppb lead (Jan 2022 – Dec 2024). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 4.4 ppb (Dec 2018).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2022 – Dec 2024 | 2.74 ppb |
| Jan 2019 – Dec 2021 | 3.55 ppb |
| Jan 2017 – Dec 2019 | 3.3 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2016 – Dec 2018 | 4.4 ppb |
| Jan 2013 – Dec 2015 | 7 ppb |
| Jan 2010 – Dec 2012 | 3.1 ppb |
| Jan 2008 – Dec 2010 | 4.4 ppb |
| Jan 2006 – Dec 2008 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 2005 – Dec 2007 | 3.2 ppb |
| Jan 2003 – Dec 2005 | 3 ppb |
| Jan 2002 – Dec 2004 | 5 ppb |
| Jan 2003 – Dec 2003 | 1 ppb |
Lead service lines: City of Phoenix publishes a service line inventory where you can look up what your line is made of. It doesn't publish summary counts.
Look up your address · Source (the utility, collected by us on Nov 14, 2026, not EPA data) · Checking your own line
Lead comes from pipes and fixtures, not the source water, so it varies home to home. The 90th percentile means 9 in 10 sampled homes were at or below it. More on lead.
Violations
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| Jan 2021 | The water was cloudier than allowed at least once. Cloudiness can shield germs from disinfection. Urgent public notice required What that means EPA record: Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule · Single Turbidity Exceed (Enhanced SWTR) (limit ) Resolved |
Health-based violations mean a contaminant exceeded a limit or a required treatment step was missed. Monitoring and reporting violations mean required tests or reports were late or missing, so the water's quality during that time is unknown. The total includes every violation in EPA's records, most of them paperwork.
Earlier EPA testing (2013–2020)
| Contaminant | Highest | Guideline |
|---|---|---|
| Manganese | 992 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Vanadium | 23.2 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Molybdenum | 5.4 ppb | 40 ppb |
| Strontium | 1.14 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Chromium-6 | 54 ppb | – |
| Chlorate | 884 ppb | 210 ppb |
Where it serves
Phoenix
68 ZIP codes the system reported serving
80306, 85001, 85003, 85004, 85005, 85006, 85007, 85008, 85009, 85012, 85013, 85014, 85015, 85016, 85017, 85018, 85019, 85020, 85021, 85022, 85023, 85024, 85027, 85028, 85029, 85031, 85032, 85033, 85034, 85035, 85036, 85037, 85040, 85041, 85042, 85043, 85044, 85045, 85048, 85050, 85051, 85053, 85054, 85058, 85083, 85085, 85086, 85087, 85098, 85213, 85250, 85251, 85253, 85254, 85255, 85256, 85257, 85262, 85304, 85305, 85306, 85307, 85308, 85310, 85331, 85339, 85353, 85383
Nearby utilities
- City of Glendale Glendale · 6 mi
- City of Scottsdale Scottsdale · 15 mi
- City of Tempe Tempe · 16 mi · PFAS above limit
- Liberty Water Lpsco Litchfield Park · 16 mi · PFAS above limit
- USAF Luke Air Force Base Litchfield Park · 16 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Peoria Peoria · 19 mi
Questions
Is Phoenix tap water safe to drink?
Most of Phoenix gets its water from City of Phoenix. City of Phoenix had 1 health-based violation since 2016, all since resolved. EPA testing found no PFAS above the federal limits. Federal data can't tell you about your own pipes: lead comes from service lines and plumbing, so test your tap if your home was built before 1986. For the official word, read the utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report.
Does Phoenix water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of City of Phoenix found 2 PFAS at least once. None of the averages were above the federal limits.
What is the lead level in Phoenix water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for City of Phoenix is 2.74 ppb, for the period ending Dec 2024. The federal action level is 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb in November 2027. The 90th percentile means 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below this number. Individual homes can be higher.
Check these numbers yourself
Every figure on this page comes from public EPA records. You don't have to take our word for it:
- EPA's own report for AZ0407025: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID AZ0407025).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- City of Phoenix's water quality report: the utility's own annual report, including contaminants EPA's national database doesn't carry (link checked Nov 14, 2026). Phone: (602) 256-5658.
- City of Phoenix website
Found something that doesn't match? Tell us and we'll check it against EPA's records. How we check our data.
Source: U.S. EPA drinking water records and PFAS testing (UCMR 5). How we read the data.