Arizona
Arizona sits in the Southwest and draws its water primarily from Colorado River, groundwater, and Salt & Verde rivers. With roughly 7.4 million residents, the state has an established water reuse program, reusing an estimated 52% of its treated wastewater.
Arizonawater quality & safety
Top violation drivers in Arizona
| Contaminant / rule | Systems |
|---|---|
| LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS | 166 |
| Groundwater Rule | 115 |
| Revised Total Coliform Rule | 112 |
| Arsenic | 76 |
| Nitrate | 31 |
| TTHM | 28 |
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) · 2026 Q1 · health-based violations since 2016
A national leader in reuse — Scottsdale has demonstrated direct potable reuse — even as Colorado River cuts and groundwater limits constrain growth around Phoenix.
On the U.S. Drought Monitor scale, Arizona currently tracks around moderate to severe conditions. Arizona has 954 community water systems serving about 7 million people; EPA records show 414 of them (43.4%) with a health-based Safe Drinking Water Act violation since 2016. The pages below break down the water issues that matter most here and the communities working on solutions.
Drought history — severe+ extent
% of Arizona in severe drought or worse (D2+) each late summer.
Source: U.S. Drought Monitor (NDMC/UNL, USDA, NOAA) · latest 2026-06-09
Water use (USGS 2015)
- Per-capita (public supply)
- 181 gpcd
- Total withdrawals
- 6.0 Bgal/d
- From groundwater
- 46.1%
- Irrigation share
- 75.7%
- Wastewater reused (est.)
- ~52%
Primary water sources
- ≈ Colorado River
- ≈ groundwater
- ≈ Salt & Verde rivers
Common questions
Is tap water safe in Arizona?
Arizona has 954 community water systems serving about 7 million people. EPA records show 414 of them (43.4%) with at least one health-based Safe Drinking Water Act violation since 2016, and 12 system(s) over the federal lead action level. Most large systems meet standards; check your specific city and your utility's annual report.
What contaminants are most common in Arizona's water?
The most frequent health-based violations involve LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS, Groundwater Rule, Revised Total Coliform Rule.
How much water does Arizona use per person?
Public water systems in Arizona withdraw about 181 gallons per person per day (USGS 2015), drawing 46.1% of fresh water from groundwater.
How bad is the drought in Arizona?
As of 2026-06-09, 89.4% of Arizona is in drought (D1+) and 62.5% is in severe drought or worse, per the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Cities in Arizona
27 trackedPhoenix
America's fifth-largest city balances Colorado River cutbacks, new groundwater limits on growth, and a long history of recycling water — including to cool the Palo Verde nuclear plant.
Tucson
Tucson, AZ water profile — supply sources, drought status, wastewater reuse, and the key water issues facing the city.
Mesa
Mesa, AZ water profile — supply sources, drought status, wastewater reuse, and the key water issues facing the city.
Chandler
Chandler, AZ water profile — supply sources, drought status, wastewater reuse, and the key water issues facing the city.
Gilbert
Gilbert, AZ water profile — supply sources, drought status, wastewater reuse, and the key water issues facing the city.
Glendale
Glendale, AZ water profile — supply sources, drought status, wastewater reuse, and the key water issues facing the city.
Scottsdale
Scottsdale operates one of the country's pioneering advanced water treatment facilities and has demonstrated direct potable reuse at the tap.
Maryvale
Maryvale, AZ water profile — supply sources, drought status, wastewater reuse, and the key water issues facing the city.
Tempe
Tempe, AZ water profile — supply sources, drought status, wastewater reuse, and the key water issues facing the city.
Peoria
Peoria, AZ water profile — supply sources, drought status, wastewater reuse, and the key water issues facing the city.
Deer Valley
Deer Valley, AZ water profile — supply sources, drought status, wastewater reuse, and the key water issues facing the city.
Tempe Junction
Tempe Junction, AZ water profile — supply sources, drought status, wastewater reuse, and the key water issues facing the city.
Key issues in Arizona
Colorado River
The river that supplies 40 million people has lost roughly a fifth of its flow since 2000, forcing a renegotiation of how seven states share the water.
ExploreGroundwater Depletion
Aquifers from the Central Valley to the Ogallala are being pumped faster than they recharge, causing land subsidence and threatening long-term supply.
ExplorePotable Reuse
Advanced purification turns treated wastewater into water that meets or exceeds drinking-water standards — increasingly essential in water-stressed regions.
ExploreDrought
Much of the American West is in a multi-decade dry period that researchers describe as the most severe in over a millennium, reshaping how communities plan for water.
ExploreAnalysis featuring Arizona
The AI Boom's Thirst: How Data Centers Strain Water Supplies
The water cost of artificial intelligence is not just the cooling towers you can see — it is the vast withdrawals behind the electricity that powers them, increasingly in the driest corners of the country.
Read analysisWhat Is Potable Reuse? A Plain-English Guide to Drinking Recycled Water
Direct vs. indirect, the treatment train, and the 'yuck factor' — everything you need to understand the technology reshaping American water.
Read analysisThe 2026 Colorado River Reckoning, Explained
Seven states must agree on how to share a shrinking river after 2026. Here's what's at stake for 40 million people.
Read analysisPhoenix Hit the Limits of Groundwater. Now It's Rationing Growth.
Arizona stopped approving groundwater-only subdivisions around Phoenix — a first-of-its-kind link between water scarcity and the housing market.
Read analysisThe Colorado River's Oldest Water Rights Belong to Tribes
Native nations hold some of the most senior — and largest — claims on the river. After a century on the sidelines, they're shaping its future.
Read analysisCash for Grass: How Turf Rebates Conquered the West
The Las Vegas model — paying residents to tear out lawns — has become the most replicated water-conservation program in the arid United States.
Read analysis