Is Maricopa, AZ tap water safe?
Supplied by Global Water – Santa Cruz Water Company · serves 84,000 people (17,123 connections) · Groundwater · EPA ID AZ0411131
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Most of Maricopa gets its water from Global Water – Santa Cruz Water Company. Parts of the city are served by 9 smaller systems: Thunderbird Farms Dwid Water System (2,315 people), Global Water – Santa Cruz Water – Maricopa Sw (1,848 people), Copper Mountain Ranch Cfd Water System (1,071 people), Maricopa Consolidated Dwid Water System (928 people) and 5 more. Your water bill names your system.
Summary
No federal limits exceeded in EPA data.
- PFAS
- Not detectedNone of 29 PFAS found above EPA's reporting limits in 4 samples (2023–2025).
- Lithium
- Above screening levelHighest result 263 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 level0 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 Aug 2025. One required an urgent public notice within 24 hours (the kind behind boil-water notices), most recently Aug 2025. 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 Global Water – Santa Cruz Water Company's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report). It lists every regulated contaminant tested and is usually on the utility's website or mailed with your bill, and you can also request it at (480) 328-9281. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 2 entry points tested May 2024 to Nov 2024. "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) Not detected Limit 1 | – |
| PFBS Not detected Guideline 2,000 ppt | – |
| PFBA Not detected Guideline 6,000 ppt | – |
| PFHxA Not detected Guideline 3,000 ppt | – |
29 PFAS tested, 0 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 4 of 4 samples. Highest result 263 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: 0 ppb lead (Jan 2022 – Dec 2024). Below action level
1 reported result in EPA's records is far above anything physically plausible (likely a unit or data-entry error) and is not used in the summary.
Highest since 2016: 1.1 ppb (Dec 2020).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2022 – Dec 2024 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2021 – Jun 2021 | 0 ppb |
| Jul 2020 – Dec 2020 | 0.75 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2018 – Dec 2020 | 1.1 ppb |
| Jan 2016 – Dec 2018 | 1.1 ppb |
| Jan 2015 – Dec 2017 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2013 – Dec 2015 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2012 – Dec 2014 | 1.1 ppb |
| Jan 2010 – Dec 2012 | 1.1 ppb |
| Jan 2009 – Dec 2011 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2006 – Dec 2008 | 3.1 ppb |
| Jan 2006 – Dec 2006 | Reported value looks erroneous |
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 |
|---|---|
| Aug 2025 | E. coli was confirmed in the water. E. coli means the water may have been contaminated with sewage or animal waste. Urgent public notice required What that means EPA record: Revised Total Coliform Rule · Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, E. coli (RTCR) 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 | 1.9 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Molybdenum | 4.3 ppb | 40 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 7 ppb | – |
| Chlorate | 280 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Vanadium | 7.2 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Strontium | 2.5 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
Where it serves
Maricopa
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 85138, 85139
Nearby utilities
- Arizona Water Company – Pinal Valley Casa Grande · 17 mi
- City of Chandler Chandler · 19 mi
- Town of Gilbert Gilbert · 24 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Tempe Tempe · 24 mi · PFAS above limit
- Goodyear Water Department Goodyear · 26 mi · PFAS above limit
- Town of Queen Creek Queen Creek · 26 mi
Questions
Is Maricopa tap water safe to drink?
Most of Maricopa gets its water from Global Water – Santa Cruz Water Company. Global Water – Santa Cruz Water Company 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 Maricopa water have PFAS?
EPA tested Global Water – Santa Cruz Water Company for 29 PFAS between May 2024 and Nov 2024 and none were detected above the reporting limits (about 2 to 20 ppt depending on the chemical).
What is the lead level in Maricopa water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Global Water – Santa Cruz Water Company is 0 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 AZ0411131: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID AZ0411131).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask Global Water – Santa Cruz Water Company at (480) 328-9281, or see EPA's guide to finding it.
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.