Tucson, AZ Water Quality (ZIP 85701)

Quick Answers

Is ZIP 85701 tap water safe to drink? Water for ZIP 85701 shows high PFAS contamination. EPA testing found a peak of 420 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 85701? Match the filter to the data: reverse osmosis handles PFAS, lead, and arsenic together; NSF-53 pitchers cover the taps you drink from. A basic Brita pitcher will not remove PFAS.

ZIP 85701 Water Quality Summary

EPA testing has detected PFAS "forever chemicals" in the water system serving ZIP 85701 (Tucson, AZ). Monitoring found a peak of 420 ppt across 1 system, averaging 420 ppt over 1 detected compound. 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 85701

• PFHXS: 420 ppt (exceeds the EPA 10 ppt limit)

Lead in ZIP 85701 Water

EPA Lead and Copper Rule testing recorded 3 lead samples for the system serving 85701, with a 90th-percentile high of 0.0011 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.

About the Data

These figures come from EPA UCMR5 (2023-2025) plus Lead and Copper Rule and SDWIS records for the public water system serving ZIP 85701. UCMR5 is the most comprehensive national drinking water survey in US history.

Beyond water: other exposures in Tucson, AZ

Drinking water is one exposure route. These are the other federal datasets that cover ZIP 85701 and Pima County, AZ.

Radon risk in Pima County, AZ

The EPA places Pima 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 Pima County, AZ

Census figures show 40% of homes in Pima County, AZ were built before 1980, and 5% 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 Pima County, AZ

Modelled annual fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) for Pima County, AZ averages 6 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 85701

EPA Toxics Release Inventory data for 2023 records 2 reporting facilities within about five miles of 85701, together reporting roughly 28,039 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.