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City of Tempe water quality report, rewritten

Serves
165,000
Connections
40,000
Water source
Surface water
Based in
Tempe, AZ
County
Maricopa
Owner
Local government
The 6 ZIP codes it serves

85280, 85281, 85282, 85283, 85284, 85288

PWSID AZ04071002026 edition · EPA data

Read this first

  • PFOS (above the health goal) was found in 10 of 24 samples, highest 55.8 ppt. Above the 4.0 ppt legal limit in at least one sample. Compliance is judged on a running annual average, not one sample.
  • PFOA (above the health goal) was found in eight of 24 samples, highest 38.7 ppt. Above the 4.0 ppt legal limit in at least one sample. Compliance is judged on a running annual average, not one sample.
  • PFHxS (above the health goal) was found in eight of 24 samples, highest 70.5 ppt. Above the 10 ppt legal limit in at least one sample. Compliance is judged on a running annual average, not one sample.
  • Lithium (above EPA’s health benchmark) was found in 24 of 24 samples, highest 278 ppb. Above EPA’s health reference level of 10 ppb, a screening level rather than an enforceable limit.
  • Lead (above the health goal) In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 4.4 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level. The action level drops to 10 ppb on Nov. 1, 2027. EPA’s health goal for lead is zero.

2 health-based violations since 2016. Details are below.

What handles it

What was found

Highlighted: above the health goal, or EPA’s health benchmark where there is no goal. Circled: above the legal limit in at least one sample, or the action level. Every scale puts that line at its middle.

PFOS (above the health goal)

Comes from the source

55.8 (above the legal limit in at least one sample)ppt

Highest of 24 samples; found in 10

Above the 4.0 ppt legal limit in at least one sample. Compliance is judged on a running annual average, not one sample.

What handles it

  • NSF/ANSI 53Look for: PFOS ReductionSame claim, other certifiers’ wording: Total PFAS Reduction; Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS)
  • NSF/ANSI 58Look for: Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS)

NSF’s PFAS claims are tested to below 20 ppt. EPA’s limit is 4.0 ppt, and EPA says no certification yet shows a filter reaching its levels.

EPA UCMR 5, samples taken from July 9, 2024 to March 18, 2025. Each blue tick is one sample where it was found.

PFOA (above the health goal)

Comes from the source

38.7 (above the legal limit in at least one sample)ppt

Highest of 24 samples; found in eight

Above the 4.0 ppt legal limit in at least one sample. Compliance is judged on a running annual average, not one sample.

What handles it

  • NSF/ANSI 53Look for: PFOA ReductionSame claim, other certifiers’ wording: Total PFAS Reduction; Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA)
  • NSF/ANSI 58Look for: Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA)

NSF’s PFAS claims are tested to below 20 ppt. EPA’s limit is 4.0 ppt, and EPA says no certification yet shows a filter reaching its levels.

EPA UCMR 5, samples taken from July 9, 2024 to March 18, 2025. Each blue tick is one sample where it was found.

PFHxS (above the health goal)

Comes from the source

70.5 (above the legal limit in at least one sample)ppt

Highest of 24 samples; found in eight

Above the 10 ppt legal limit in at least one sample. Compliance is judged on a running annual average, not one sample.

What handles it

  • NSF/ANSI 53Look for: Total PFAS ReductionSame claim, other certifiers’ wording: Perfluorohexane Sulfonic Acid (PFHxS)

NSF’s PFAS claims are tested to below 20 ppt. EPA’s limit is 10 ppt, and EPA says no certification yet shows a filter reaching its levels.

EPA UCMR 5, samples taken from July 9, 2024 to March 18, 2025. Each blue tick is one sample where it was found.

278ppb

Highest of 24 samples; found in 24

Above EPA’s health reference level of 10 ppb, a screening level rather than an enforceable limit.

What handles it

No certification claim covers this compound yet.

EPA UCMR 5, samples taken from July 13, 2023 to March 18, 2025. Each blue tick is one sample where it was found.

Lead (above the health goal)

Comes from pipes, often your own

4.4ppb

90th percentile, 2022 to 2024

In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 4.4 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level. The action level drops to 10 ppb on Nov. 1, 2027. EPA’s health goal for lead is zero.

What handles it

EPA SDWIS, lead and copper monitoring periods ending 2016 to 2024. The pointer marks the latest period; each blue tick is an earlier one.

PFBS

Comes from the source

25.7ppt

Highest of 24 samples; found in 16

Below EPA’s hazard index benchmark of 2,000 ppt. PFBS has no legal limit or health goal of its own.

What handles it

EPA UCMR 5, samples taken from July 13, 2023 to Jan. 16, 2025. Each blue tick is one sample where it was found.

Also found, with no federal limit

EPA measured these PFAS to learn how often they occur. None has a legal limit or a health goal yet.

CompoundHighest sampleFound inCertification claim
PFHxA22.5 ppt6 of 24None covers it
PFPeA14.4 ppt6 of 24None covers it
PFBA9.9 ppt3 of 24None covers it
PFPeS8.0 ppt2 of 24None covers it
PFHpA7.0 ppt4 of 24NSF/ANSI 53: Total PFAS Reduction

Tested and not found

Below EPA’s minimum reporting level in every sample taken from July 13, 2023 to March 18, 2025. Not found means not measured above that level, which is not the same as zero.

All 20 compounds tested and not found
  • 11Cl-PF3OUdS
  • 4:2 FTS
  • 6:2 FTS
  • 8:2 FTS
  • 9Cl-PF3ONS
  • ADONA
  • HFPO-DA (GenX)
  • NEtFOSAA
  • NFDHA
  • NMeFOSAA
  • PFDA
  • PFDoA
  • PFEESA
  • PFHpS
  • PFMBA
  • PFMPA
  • PFNA
  • PFTA
  • PFTrDA
  • PFUnA

Violations since 2016

Contaminant or ruleTypePeriodMeasuredStatus
Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment RuleFailure Submit Treatment Requirement RptOct. 1, 2017—Resolved
TTHMThe running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, AverageApril 1, 2017 to June 30, 20170.085 MG/LResolved
Health-based violations only. Resolved and archived mean the utility returned to compliance or the state closed the record. 12 monitoring or reporting violations not shown.

What handles it

A certification covers specific claims, not a whole standard. Look for these claims on the certifier’s listing, not the box. Wording varies a little: NSF writes “Lead Reduction,” WQA just “Lead.”

  • NSF/ANSI 53

    Claims: PFOS Reduction, PFOA Reduction, Total PFAS Reduction, Lead Reduction

    For: PFOS, PFOA, PFHxS, Lead

  • NSF/ANSI 58

    Claims: Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS), Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA), Lead Reduction

    For: PFOS, PFOA, Lead

At the tap, or for the whole house?

Lead and copper usually come from pipes and fixtures inside or near your home. A whole-house system sits where water enters, so it cannot catch what your own plumbing adds after it. For those, the filter that counts is the one at the tap. How whole-house systems compare.

Compare five-year costs

Filters with those claims on a certifier’s listing

TapBuff earns a commission if you buy through some links on this page. It does not change which standard or filter we name. As an Amazon Associate, TapBuff earns from qualifying purchases. How TapBuff makes money

What this report cannot tell you

  • Levels of everything else. Federal bulk data carries results for PFAS, lithium, lead and copper, and violations for the rest. Nitrate, arsenic, disinfection byproducts and other levels are in City of Tempe’s own annual report, which it must send you every year.
  • Your own plumbing. Lead results are the 90th percentile across homes the utility samples. Your home’s service line, solder and fixtures decide yours. A certified lab test is the only way to know.
  • Anything after the latest data. SDWIS data is from 2026 Q2; UCMR 5 samples are from July 13, 2023 to March 18, 2025.

What to do next

  1. Read up on the 5 marked results

    What each one does to health, where it comes from, and the certification claim that addresses it.

    Start with PFOS

  2. Get the utility’s own report

    City of Tempe must send you a water quality report every year. It lists nitrate, arsenic and byproduct levels this page cannot.

    How to read it

  3. Test your own tap for lead

    Your service line, solder and fixtures decide the lead at your faucet, not the utility’s average.

    Lead in your water: what to do

  4. Compare certified filters

    What the filters certified for these results cost over five years, cartridges included.

    Compare five-year costs

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