Pima County tap water: hardness, PFAS and lead

Pima County, Arizona has about 1,080,149 residents (Census 2024 estimate) and 142 community water systems in EPA records. The largest local system is Tucson City of, serving about 732,906 people from groundwater.

✓ 0 of 6 largest systems with health-based violationsPFAS detected at 2 of 6 sampled systemsHardness 7.8 gpg (low confidence)

Public-record figures, not a test of your tap. Not 100% accurate or guaranteed. Confirm with a water test, your utility or a qualified pro before you buy or act.

How hard is Pima County water?

Tucson City of Estimate: untreated local water, not your tap · Low confidence

7.8 gpg (134 mg/L), hard

Pima County: median of 2,440 results from 1291 monitoring sites (streams and wells). Utilities may blend or treat water, so your tap can differ.

Source: Hard Water Map county data, samples through 2023

County estimates: Hard Water Map (hardwatermap.com), CC BY 4.0, derived from the USGS/EPA Water Quality Portal; file generated 2026-07-22. License

Public-record figures, not a test of your tap. Not 100% accurate or guaranteed. Confirm with a water test, your utility or a qualified pro before you buy or act.

Softener size at 7.8 gpg

For a 3-person home using 57 gallons per person per day and regenerating weekly, you'd remove about 9,337 grains between regenerations. Suggested size: 24,000 grain. This uses a low-confidence county estimate, so confirm with a test first.

Estimate only. Not 100% accurate or guaranteed. Confirm with a water test, your utility or a qualified pro before you buy or act.

Open the softener calculator with 7.8 gpg

Largest water systems in Pima County

The 6 biggest of 142 community water systems on EPA records for this county. Service areas don't follow county lines; your water bill names your provider.

Tucson City of

AZ0410112 · serves about 732,906 people · Groundwater

✓ No health-based violations✓ Lead below action levelPFAS detected (1 type)

Lead 90th percentile: 0.6 ppb (period starting 2021-01-01) Older result. Action level: 15 ppb (drops to 10 ppb on Nov 1, 2027).

  • PFBA: highest sample 8.1 ppt (1 of 162 samples); no federal limit

EPA ECHO record

Metropolitan Dwid

AZ0410076 · serves about 45,570 people · Groundwater

✓ No health-based violations✓ Lead below action levelPFAS detected (2 types)

Lead 90th percentile: 0.6 ppb (period starting 2023-01-01) Older result. Action level: 15 ppb (drops to 10 ppb on Nov 1, 2027).

  • PFBS: highest sample 4.8 ppt (4 of 42 samples); no individual limit; counted in EPA's PFAS mixture (hazard index) limit
  • PFHxS: highest sample 3.9 ppt (2 of 42 samples); federal limit 10.0 ppt as a running annual average, also counted in EPA's PFAS mixture (hazard index) limit (currently in effect; EPA has proposed removing it)

EPA ECHO record

Oro Valley Water Utility

AZ0410164 · serves about 42,316 people · Groundwater

✓ No health-based violations✓ Lead below action level✓ No PFAS detected

Lead 90th percentile: 1 ppb (period starting 2023-01-01) Older result. Action level: 15 ppb (drops to 10 ppb on Nov 1, 2027).

EPA ECHO record

Community Wc of Green Valley

AZ0410004 · serves about 22,085 people · Groundwater

✓ No health-based violations✓ Lead below detection✓ No PFAS detected

Lead 90th percentile: <DL (below the lab detection/reporting limit; reported as 0) (period starting 2022-01-01) Older result. Action level: 15 ppb (drops to 10 ppb on Nov 1, 2027).

EPA ECHO record

Usaf Davis Monthan Afb

AZ0420549 · serves about 18,640 people · Groundwater

✓ No health-based violations✓ Lead below detection✓ No PFAS detected

Lead 90th percentile: <DL (below the lab detection/reporting limit; reported as 0) (period starting 2025-01-01). Action level: 15 ppb (drops to 10 ppb on Nov 1, 2027).

EPA ECHO record

Sahuarita Water Company

AZ0410312 · serves about 18,178 people · Groundwater

✓ No health-based violations✓ Lead below detection✓ No PFAS detected

Lead 90th percentile: <DL (below the lab detection/reporting limit; reported as 0) (period starting 2023-01-01) Older result. Action level: 15 ppb (drops to 10 ppb on Nov 1, 2027).

EPA ECHO record

Public-record figures, not a test of your tap. Not 100% accurate or guaranteed. Confirm with a water test, your utility or a qualified pro before you buy or act.

A PFAS detection is not a violation. Federal limits (4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS) apply to running annual averages, with compliance required by 2029. In May 2026 EPA proposed extending the PFOA/PFOS deadline to 2031 and removing other PFAS limits; not final as of 2026-10-21.

Test your own tap

These are public records for whole systems. Your home's pipes, fixtures and any private well can change what you drink. A certified lab test or a hardness test strip gives you your own numbers. Then use our PFAS and lead filter selector to see which certifications to look for.

Common questions about Pima County water

Is tap water in Pima County safe to drink?

None of the 6 largest systems here have a health-based violation in EPA records since October 2021. Tucson City of's most recent lead 90th percentile was 0.6 ppb (2021), below the 15 ppb action level. Public records can't guarantee what comes out of your tap, especially with older plumbing, so a home test is the surest check.

How hard is the water in Pima County?

There's no published utility figure in our data, but untreated local stream and well samples in Pima County have a median of about 7.8 grains per gallon (134 mg/L, hard). That's a low-confidence estimate of source water, not your tap, so test before you buy equipment. For a 3-person home at 7.8 gpg, our softener calculator suggests a 24,000 grain unit as a starting point.

Is there PFAS in Pima County water?

2 of the 6 sampled systems listed here detected at least one PFAS in EPA's UCMR 5 testing. A detection isn't a violation: federal PFAS limits apply to running annual averages starting in 2029.

Which water system serves my address in Pima County?

Most homes are served by Tucson City of or one of the other systems listed on this page, but service areas don't follow county lines. Your water bill names your provider, and its annual Consumer Confidence Report has the full test results.

More Arizona counties

Sources for this page

Data as of October 21, 2026. Figures are copied from public records and combined with our own calculations; they can be out of date or wrong. Tapped Out isn't affiliated with any utility or the EPA. Written and reviewed by the Tapped Out team. How we calculate · All sources.