Phoenix water quality is reported by City of Phoenix Water Services in its water quality report, published at phoenix.gov/waterqualityreport. This guide shows what the 2025 report says about where the water comes from, its hardness and its dissolved solids, and how to use those figures when you think about home treatment.
Water Treatment Phoenix is an independent referral service, not an installer, plumber or water utility. When you send the form, your details go to an independent local water treatment pro who can contact you and prepare a quote.
Where Phoenix tap water comes from
In 2025, about 97 to 99% of the city’s water came from surface water: the Salt and Verde rivers, delivered through the Salt River Project canals, and the Colorado River, delivered through the Central Arizona Project. About 2% came from about 20 city wells.
Figures worth knowing
| Measure | City of Phoenix 2025 | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Total hardness | 172 to 302 ppm; 10 to 17.6 grains per gallon | Hard to very hard on the USGS scale |
| Total dissolved solids | 464 to 716 ppm | EPA’s secondary guideline is 500 mg/L |
EPA’s secondary standards are non-mandatory guidelines for taste, color and staining that EPA does not enforce. The report says taste, odor and hardness are not regulated under drinking water health standards, and that hard water can cause some types of scaling in pipes, water heaters and plumbing fixtures.
How to read the report
Water quality reports follow a similar pattern: where the water comes from, then tables of what was measured, the ranges found and the limits that apply. For home treatment, three entries matter most.
- Sources: the share from rivers and from wells, which the 2025 report gives as about 97 to 99% surface water and about 2% from city wells.
- Hardness: in ppm and grains per gallon, here 172 to 302 ppm, or 10 to 17.6 grains per gallon.
- Total dissolved solids: here 464 to 716 ppm, against EPA’s secondary guideline of 500 mg/L.
Write down the figures, then compare them with a test at your own tap. The city’s figures are ranges across its whole system; your home’s water is one point in those ranges.
Is Phoenix tap water safe?
This site does not give a safety verdict on anyone’s water. The city’s report lists the contaminants it regulates and what was measured, and it is the source to read. If you have a health question, ask your doctor or the city’s water department.
Taste and odor
Some questions about tap water are really about taste. The report itself says taste, odor and hardness are not regulated under drinking water health standards, so a taste you notice is something you may choose to treat rather than a failed standard. A carbon filter certified to NSF/ANSI 42, the standard for aesthetic effects such as chlorine, taste and odor, is built for taste; reverse osmosis at the kitchen tap is another option.
PFAS rules
EPA’s final rule set limits of 4.0 parts per trillion for PFOA and for PFOS in public water. On May 18, 2026, EPA proposed keeping those limits and allowing water systems to request two more years, to 2031, to comply, and proposed rescinding limits for PFHxS, PFNA, HFPO-DA (GenX) and the mixture hazard index. Those were proposals when this page was written; EPA’s PFAS page has the current status.
Using the report to choose treatment
A sound approach is to decide what you want to remove, then choose a unit certified to remove it. The report helps with that first step.
- Scale and soap problems point to hardness: see water softeners.
- Dissolved solids above 500 mg/L at your tap point to reverse osmosis for drinking water.
- A taste or odor points to filtration certified to NSF/ANSI 42.
The city’s report also points readers to the Water Quality Association, wqa.org, for information on home treatment systems. City figures are system-wide; a test at your own tap shows your water. See water testing in Phoenix.
If you are not a City of Phoenix customer
Other Valley cities and private water companies publish their own reports. Look for the provider’s name on your water bill, then find its annual water quality report on its website, and read the same three entries: sources, hardness and dissolved solids.
Want a pro to test the water at your tap?
Questions people ask
Where is the Phoenix water quality report?
At phoenix.gov/waterqualityreport, published by City of Phoenix Water Services.
Does the report apply to my home?
If you are a City of Phoenix Water Services customer. Other providers publish their own reports.
Ask a local pro