Tucson, AZ Water Quality (ZIP 85704)

Quick Answers

Is ZIP 85704 tap water safe to drink? Water for ZIP 85704 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 85704? A reverse osmosis system (NSF/ANSI 58) removes 90%+ of PFAS, lead, and arsenic. For smaller households, an NSF-53 certified pitcher (Clearly Filtered, ZeroWater) works. Standard Brita cartridges are not certified for PFAS.

ZIP 85704 Water Quality Summary

EPA testing has detected PFAS "forever chemicals" in the water systems serving ZIP 85704 (Tucson, AZ). Monitoring found a peak of 420 ppt across 2 systems, averaging 33.79 ppt over 3 detected compounds.

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

Top Detected Compounds in ZIP 85704

• PFHXS: 420 ppt (exceeds the EPA 10 ppt limit)
• PFOS: 53 ppt (exceeds the EPA 4 ppt limit)
• PFBS: 0 ppt

Lead in ZIP 85704 Water

EPA Lead and Copper Rule testing recorded 42 lead samples for the systems serving 85704, with a 90th-percentile high of 0.0079 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 85704

The water systems serving 85704 have 3 health-based EPA Safe Drinking Water Act violations on record, including 1035, 8000. 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 85704 in Tucson, AZ.

Beyond water: other exposures in Tucson, AZ

Drinking water is one exposure route. These are the other federal datasets that cover ZIP 85704 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.