Globe, AZ Water Quality (ZIP 85539)

Quick Answers

Is ZIP 85539 tap water safe to drink? Water for ZIP 85539 shows high PFAS contamination. EPA testing found a peak of 113.3 ppt, above the EPA's 4 ppt enforceable limit. A reverse osmosis or certified PFAS filter is strongly recommended.

What filter should I use in 85539? A reverse osmosis system (NSF/ANSI 58) removes 90%+ of PFAS, lead, and arsenic. For smaller households, a pitcher certified to NSF-53 for PFAS (ZeroWater, PUR PLUS) works. Standard Brita cartridges are not certified for PFAS.

ZIP 85539 Water Quality Summary

EPA testing has detected PFAS "forever chemicals" in the water systems serving ZIP 85539 (Globe, AZ). Monitoring found a peak of 113.3 ppt across 2 systems, averaging 22.12 ppt over 7 detected compounds. These levels come from individual EPA UCMR 5 water samples (2023-2025). The EPA's 4 ppt limit for PFOA and PFOS is enforced on a running annual average, so a sample above it shows real exposure but is not by itself a violation.

Contamination Level: HIGH – High contamination – multiple PFAS compounds detected at levels significantly above EPA safety thresholds.

Top Detected Compounds in ZIP 85539

• PFBS: 113.3 ppt
• PFHXS: 23.7 ppt (exceeds the EPA 10 ppt limit)
• PFHXA: 16 ppt (exceeds the EPA 4 ppt limit)
• PFBA: 12 ppt (exceeds the EPA 4 ppt limit)
• PFOS: 9.5 ppt (exceeds the EPA 4 ppt limit)

Lead in ZIP 85539 Water

EPA Lead and Copper Rule testing recorded 21 lead samples for the systems serving 85539, with a 90th-percentile high of 0.0046 mg/L (within the EPA 0.015 mg/L action level). There is no safe level of lead for children; homes built before 1986 should use a certified NSF/ANSI 53 lead filter.

EPA Violations Affecting ZIP 85539

The water systems serving 85539 have 3 health-based EPA Safe Drinking Water Act violations on record, including Lead and Copper Rule Revisions, Ground Water Rule. A health-based violation means a contaminant exceeded its federal limit or required treatment was not applied.

About the Data

Source: EPA UCMR5 monitoring (2023-2025), Lead and Copper Rule samples, and SDWIS violation records tied to the water system that serves 85539 in Globe, AZ.

Beyond water: other exposures in Globe, AZ

Drinking water is one exposure route. These are the other federal datasets that cover ZIP 85539 and Gila County, AZ.

Radon risk in Gila County, AZ

The EPA places Gila County, AZ in Zone 2 - a moderate-risk category, with a predicted average indoor radon level between 2 and 4 pCi/L. Zone maps predict the radon potential of an area from geology and existing indoor readings - they do not describe any individual home. Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among people who have never smoked, and the only way to know your own level is a test kit.

Lead paint risk in Gila County, AZ

Census figures show 41% of homes in Gila County, AZ were built before 1980, and 8% before 1950. Lead-based paint was banned for residential use in 1978, so older housing stock is the strongest available proxy for lead-paint exposure. This is a statistic about the county's housing, not a test of any particular property - if your home predates 1980, a lead swab test is the way to check.

Air quality in Gila County, AZ

Modelled annual fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) for Gila County, AZ averages 4.7 µg/m³, within the EPA's annual PM2.5 standard of 9 µg/m³. PM2.5 is the pollution fraction small enough to reach deep into the lungs. These are CDC modelled estimates for the county as a whole, not a reading taken at this ZIP code.

Industrial releases near 85539

EPA Toxics Release Inventory data for 2023 records 2 reporting facilities within about five miles of 85539, together reporting roughly 9,504,086 pounds of on-site chemical releases that year. TRI covers facilities above federal reporting thresholds, so smaller sources are not included, and a reported release is not the same as a measured concentration in air or water.