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Which report this is
This page summarizes the City of Phoenix Water Services Department's 2025 Water Quality Report, its newest Consumer Confidence Report.1 It covers water delivered to about 1.7 million residents served by Phoenix. Other cities' utilities (Scottsdale, Glendale, EPCOR and others) publish their own reports. The report says Phoenix's water met or surpassed all federal and state drinking water standards in 2025.1
About 97–99% of Phoenix's 2025 water was surface water from the Salt, Verde and Colorado rivers, treated at the city's water treatment plants. The rest came from city wells.1
Key numbers from the 2025 report
| What | 2025 result | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Total hardness | 172–302 ppm (10–17.6 grains per gallon) | Range of distribution-system samples. No federal limit.1 |
| Total dissolved solids (TDS) | 464–716 ppm | EPA's non-enforceable guideline is 500 ppm, so part of the range is above it.1,4 |
| Disinfectant residual | Chlorine: highest running annual average 0.84 ppm; samples <0.24–1.9 ppm | Limit (MRDL) is 4 ppm. Phoenix says its entire supply is disinfected with chlorine. The report lists no chloramine.1 |
| Chlorine dioxide | ND–540 ppb (highest 540) | An oxidant used at some treatment plants. Limit 800 ppb.1 |
| Sodium | 91–183 ppm | No federal limit.1 |
| pH | 6.6–8.8 | EPA guideline 6.5–8.5.1 |
| Alkalinity | 121–167 ppm | No guideline.1 |
| Iron | ND–30 ppb | EPA guideline 300 ppb.1 |
| Water temperature | 47–92°F | 1 |
| Arsenic | ND–8.5 ppb; highest annual average 7 | Limit 10 ppb (running annual average).1 |
| Nitrate (as N) | ND–4.5 ppm; highest annual average 3.8 | Limit 10 ppm.1 |
| Fluoride | 0.3–1.1 ppm | Limit 4 ppm.1 |
| Chromium | ND–87 ppb | Limit 100 ppb.1 |
| Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) | 4–68 ppb; highest locational running annual average 49 | Disinfection byproduct. Limit 80 ppb.1 |
| Haloacetic acids | 0.6–26 ppb; highest locational running annual average 17 | Disinfection byproduct. Limit 60 ppb.1 |
| Bromate | ND–5 ppb | Disinfection byproduct; the report says it forms when ozone is used. Limit 10 ppb.1 |
| Lead (2024 sampling) | 90% of taps at or below 3 ppb; range ND–41.8 ppb; 2 of 56 taps above the action level | Action level 15 ppb. No lead and copper monitoring was required in 2025.1 |
| Copper (2024 sampling) | 90% of taps at or below 0.3 ppm; range 0.04–0.5; 0 of 56 above the action level | Action level 1.3 ppm.1 |
ppm = parts per million (mg/L). ppb = parts per billion. ND = not detected. Hardness, TDS, sodium, pH, alkalinity, iron and temperature come from the report's aesthetic table of distribution-system samples.1
What isn't published
Phoenix gives these as systemwide ranges. It doesn't publish hardness, TDS or sodium by ZIP code, neighborhood or treatment plant, and it gives no single average for them.1 For a figure at your tap, test it or ask a dealer to. See Phoenix hardness by ZIP for which provider serves each ZIP.
Monitoring notice in the 2025 report
The report includes a Tier 3 notice. In May 2025, Phoenix collected 359 routine total coliform samples instead of the required 360. The city says this posed no health risk, no E. coli was found, and chlorine levels were within EPA limits.1
Hardness over the last three reports
| Report year | Total hardness (ppm) | Grains per gallon |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 172–302 | 10–17.6 |
| 2024 | 158–344 | 9.2–20.1 |
| 2023 | 148–288 | 8.6–16.8 |
Sources: Phoenix 2025, 2024 and 2023 Water Quality Reports.1,2,3
What this means for home treatment
- Scale: at 10–17.6 gpg, Phoenix water is hard across the whole published range. Test your tap to set a softener. See Phoenix softener cost and hard water in Phoenix.
- TDS and taste: TDS reduction is a required claim for RO systems certified to NSF/ANSI 58. Check a unit's listing for anything else it's certified to reduce.5 See Phoenix RO cost.
- Chlorine taste: carbon filters certified to NSF/ANSI 42 target chlorine taste and odor.6
- Sodium: tap water already carries 91–183 ppm. A salt-based softener adds more, so ask about RO for drinking water if that matters to you.
Frequently asked questions
How hard is Phoenix water?
Phoenix's 2025 Water Quality Report gives total hardness of 172 to 302 ppm, or 10 to 17.6 grains per gallon, from distribution-system samples.
What is the TDS of Phoenix tap water?
The 2025 report lists total dissolved solids of 464 to 716 ppm. EPA's non-enforceable secondary guideline is 500 ppm.
Does Phoenix use chlorine or chloramine?
Phoenix says its entire supply is disinfected with chlorine. The 2025 report lists a highest running annual average of 0.84 ppm (samples under 0.24 to 1.9 ppm), against a limit of 4 ppm. It doesn't list chloramine.
More for Phoenix: Phoenix water treatment pros · Phoenix hardness by ZIP · hard water in Phoenix · softener cost in Phoenix · RO cost in Phoenix · Tucson water quality report · Mesa water quality report · Chandler water quality report · Gilbert water quality report · Scottsdale water quality report
Sources
- City of Phoenix 2025 Water Quality Report (Consumer Confidence Report), PDF
- City of Phoenix 2024 Water Quality Report, PDF
- City of Phoenix 2023 Water Quality Report, PDF
- 40 CFR 143.3: secondary maximum contaminant levels
- NSF: NSF/ANSI 58 reverse osmosis systems
- NSF: NSF/ANSI 42, 53 and 401 filtration standards
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Get free quotesMoving to Tucson or Phoenix?
New to the area, including military families on a PCS move? Here's what the local water utilities publish, so you know what you're dealing with before you buy or rent treatment equipment.
- Phoenix: the City of Phoenix's 2025 Water Quality Report lists hardness of 172–302 ppm, or 10–17.6 grains per gallon (2025 report). It doesn't publish hardness by ZIP code. Some Phoenix-area ZIPs are split between the City of Phoenix and other providers (ADWR service area map), so check your bill. Neighboring cities publish their own reports: Scottsdale, Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert. See Phoenix hardness by ZIP.
- Tucson: find out who supplies your water first. Depending on the address (not just the ZIP code), it can be Tucson Water, Metro Water or another provider. The name is on the water bill (Pima County water provider service areas).
- Tucson Water calls its water "hard to very hard" and its 2025 report gives no single system-wide hardness number (parameter guide; 2025 report). Its online lookup shows readings from sample points near an address. See our Tucson hardness by ZIP table.
- Metro Water's 2025 hardness maps run from 3.0 gpg in parts of Metro Main (map) to an average of 19.01 gpg in E&T (map).
- Setting a softener or dishwasher: both use grains per gallon. Divide mg/L (ppm) by 17.1 (Tucson Water's conversion). A test of your own tap is more precise than a citywide range. See how to set softener hardness.