Scottsdale
Scottsdale operates one of the country's pioneering advanced water treatment facilities and has demonstrated direct potable reuse at the tap.
scottsdale city of
surface water (rivers/reservoirs) · local government · PWSID AZ0407098
Below EPA's 15 ppb lead action level at last testing.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) · 2026 Q1
Scottsdale's Advanced Water Treatment plant has long purified wastewater to recharge the aquifer and irrigate the city's golf courses. The facility runs the classic multi-barrier train of microfiltration, reverse osmosis, and advanced oxidation.
The city made national news by demonstrating direct potable reuse — purifying its wastewater to drinking standards and showcasing it — positioning Scottsdale as a regulatory and public-acceptance pioneer for the technology that desert cities increasingly need.
Maricopa County water quality
Source: EPA SDWIS · 2026 Q1
At a glance
- Long-running Advanced Water Treatment facility
- Demonstrated direct potable reuse
- Recycled water recharges aquifer and irrigates golf courses
Statewide drought history
% of Arizona in severe+ drought (Severe (D2) now).
Source: U.S. Drought Monitor
Common questions
Is tap water safe in Scottsdale?
Scottsdale's largest water system, SCOTTSDALE CITY OF, serves about 241,361 people. EPA records show 0 health-based violation(s) since 2016 and a most-recent 90th-percentile lead level of 2.3 ppb (EPA action level is 15 ppb). Always check your own provider's annual Consumer Confidence Report.
Where does Scottsdale get its water?
SCOTTSDALE CITY OF draws primarily from surface water (rivers/reservoirs), part of Arizona's supply from Colorado River, groundwater, Salt & Verde rivers.
Related water issues
Potable Reuse
Advanced purification turns treated wastewater into water that meets or exceeds drinking-water standards — increasingly essential in water-stressed regions.
ExploreColorado 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.
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.
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