Santa Cruz County Water Quality: 2 Cities Ranked by the Records
Santa Cruz County, Arizona: 2 city reports built from EPA and utility records. A county has many suppliers; each city shows the system that serves it.
Highest result for each contaminant
One row per contaminant: the highest result any system in the county reported, against its limit. Open a row for the systems behind it.
Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)Detected in 1 system of 2 tested4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest40.9 ng/L
- LIBERTY WATER RIO RICO40.9 ng/LSample date: 2023-04-17 to 2024-04-11
- NOGALES CITY OFNot detected · below 4.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2023-09-27 to 2025-06-25
LithiumDetected in 2 systems10 µg/L EPA health reference level (screening, not a legal limit) · US EPAHighest57.4 µg/L
- NOGALES CITY OF57.4 µg/LSample date: 2023-09-27 to 2025-06-25
- LIBERTY WATER RIO RICO20.2 µg/LSample date: 2023-04-17 to 2024-04-03
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)Detected in 1 system of 2 tested4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest10 ng/L
- LIBERTY WATER RIO RICO10 ng/LSample date: 2023-04-17 to 2024-04-11
- NOGALES CITY OFNot detected · below 4.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2023-09-27 to 2025-06-25
Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS)Detected in 1 system of 2 tested10 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest10.9 ng/L
- LIBERTY WATER RIO RICO10.9 ng/LSample date: 2023-04-17 to 2024-04-11
- NOGALES CITY OFNot detected · below 3.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2023-09-27 to 2025-06-25
Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS)Detected in 1 system of 2 tested2,000 ng/L EPA health advisory (screening, not a legal limit) · US EPAHighest20 ng/L
- LIBERTY WATER RIO RICO20 ng/LSample date: 2023-04-17 to 2024-04-11
- NOGALES CITY OFNot detected · below 3.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2023-09-27 to 2025-06-25
Perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA)Detected in 1 system of 2 tested400,000 ng/L Michigan EGLE state MCL (strictest US state) · Michigan EGLEHighest4 ng/L
- LIBERTY WATER RIO RICO4 ng/LSample date: 2023-04-17 to 2024-04-11
- NOGALES CITY OFNot detected · below 3.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2023-09-27 to 2025-06-25
Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA)Detected in 1 system of 2 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest7 ng/L
- LIBERTY WATER RIO RICO7 ng/LSample date: 2023-04-17 to 2024-04-11
- NOGALES CITY OFNot detected · below 5.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2023-09-27 to 2025-06-25
Perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA)Detected in 1 system of 2 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest3 ng/L
- LIBERTY WATER RIO RICO3 ng/LSample date: 2023-04-17 to 2024-04-11
- NOGALES CITY OFNot detected · below 3.0 ng/L lab reporting limitSample date: 2023-09-27 to 2025-06-25
23 substances tested, none detected in any systemShow
Tested in these 2 systems: LIBERTY WATER RIO RICO, NOGALES CITY OF
- 11-Chloroeicosafluoro-3-oxaundecane-1-sulfonic acid (11Cl-PF3OUdS)
- 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorodecane sulfonic acid (8:2 FTS)
- 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (4:2 FTS)
- 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (6:2 FTS)
- 4,8-Dioxa-3H-perfluorononanoic acid (ADONA)
- 9-Chlorohexadecafluoro-3-oxanone-1-sulfonic acid (9Cl-PF3ONS)
- Hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA) (GenX chemicals)
- Lead (90th percentile)
- N-ethyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid (NEtFOSAA)
- N-methyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid (NMeFOSAA)
- Nonafluoro-3,6-dioxaheptanoic acid (NFDHA)
- Perfluoro (2-ethoxyethane) sulfonic acid (PFEESA)
- Perfluoro-3-methoxypropanoic acid (PFMPA)
- Perfluoro-4-methoxybutanoic acid (PFMBA)
- Perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA)
- Perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoA)
- Perfluoroheptanesulfonic acid (PFHpS)
- Perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA)
- Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA)
- Perfluoropentanesulfonic acid (PFPeS)
- Perfluorotetradecanoic acid (PFTA)
- Perfluorotridecanoic acid (PFTrDA)
- Perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnA)
Cities ranked by the records
Ranked by the Purity Score of each city's main water system, highest first. Scores belong to water systems; there is no county score. The score is computed only from contaminants measured in the published EPA record, so this ranks the record, not which city's water is safest. How the score works.
0of 2 cities above the 15 µg/L action level
Based on each system's 90th-percentile result. Lead from household plumbing isn't in this record.
Lead in ArizonaLargest water systems
Frequently asked
How does Santa Cruz County tap water compare across cities?
PurityMap ranks 2 cities in Santa Cruz County by the Purity Score of each city's main water system, computed only from contaminants measured in the published EPA record. Scores belong to water systems, not to cities. The highest published score is Nogales's main water system: NOGALES CITY OF · PWSID AZ0412004 · Purity Score 95 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level. The ranking compares the records, not which city's water is safest, and your own tap can differ with household plumbing.
How many Santa Cruz County cities had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit?
1 of 2 Santa Cruz County city reports had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit in EPA's UCMR 5 testing, including Rio Rico (PFOS 40.9 ng/L). That limit is judged on a yearly average, and water systems have until 2029 to meet it, so a single sample is not a violation. PFAS were detected at any level in 1.
Is there lead in Santa Cruz County tap water?
Utilities report lead as a 90th-percentile result from home taps. 0 of 2 Santa Cruz County cities reported a value above zero, and none was above the 15 µg/L federal action level. Lead usually comes from a building's own pipes and fixtures, so only a test at your tap tells you what you drink.
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