PlainWater
States → Arizona

DESERT WATER COOP

PWS ID: AZ0410188 · TUCSON, Arizona 85756

DESERT WATER COOP serves 150 people in TUCSON, Arizona using Groundwater water sources. It has 121 recorded EPA violations, including 4 health-based violations. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing.

Water Quality Snapshot: DESERT WATER COOP

DESERT WATER COOP is a public/private-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 150 residents in TUCSON, Arizona (Pima County) through 51 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 121 total violations for this system , of which 4 (3%) are health-based — meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 83 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2025.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Consumer Confidence Rule, recorded in 18 violations (Other). This system has not yet been sampled under EPA's UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program, so no PFAS detection data is available here.

Across Arizona, EPA tracks 1,493 public water systems serving 7,322,166 people, with 228,944 cumulative violations and 15,663 health-based violations on record. About 98% of systems in the state carry at least one violation, and state-wide the average per system is 153.3 violations. DESERT WATER COOP's 121 violations sit below the Arizona average. Statewide, 145 of 152 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (95.4%). All figures above are sourced directly from EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 public data releases and are updated as EPA publishes new reporting cycles.

Population Served
150
Total Violations
121
Health-Based Violations
4
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Public/Private
Connections
51
County
Pima
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
0
Monitoring Violations
83
Treatment Tech Violations
4

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 18 2022
Lead and Copper Rule MR 16 2025
Coliform (TCR) MR 13 2014
E. COLI MR 12 2023
Revised Total Coliform Rule Other 5 2023
Revised Total Coliform Rule TT 4 2020
Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 3 2019
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 3 1991
Selenium MR 2 1990
Arsenic MR 2 1990
Chromium MR 2 1990
Cadmium MR 2 1990
Barium MR 2 1990
Mercury MR 2 1990
Nitrate MR 2 1990
Fluoride MR 2 1990
Public Notice Other 2 2020
1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 1 2001
Xylenes, Total MR 1 2001
Styrene MR 1 1987
cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 1 1987
p-Dichlorobenzene MR 1 1987
Trichloroethylene MR 1 1987
Ethylbenzene MR 1 1987
1,2-Dichloropropane MR 1 1987
o-Dichlorobenzene MR 1 1987
1,2-Dichloroethane MR 1 1987
CHLOROBENZENE MR 1 1987
trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 1 1987
DICHLOROMETHANE MR 1 1987

Verify This Water System

The figures above are aggregated from EPA's public databases. To verify the underlying records — or to file a complaint, request a Consumer Confidence Report, or check current monitoring status — go directly to the federal and state regulators that enforce the Safe Drinking Water Act for DESERT WATER COOP.

Federal Source of Truth

EPA SDWIS — Federal Reports

EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) holds the federal compliance record for every regulated public water system. Open the system-level report by PWS ID:

View PWS ID AZ0410188 on SDWIS

Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Reports Search

State Regulator

Arizona Drinking Water Authority

Arizona DEQ — Drinking Water Program is the primacy agency that licenses and inspects DESERT WATER COOP under EPA-delegated authority.

Open AZ regulator portal

Source: Arizona DEQ — Drinking Water Program

Violation Timeline

Each row links to the EPA SDWIS public record for verification. Cross-reference the contaminant code on EPA's federal report to see violation dates, return-to-compliance status, and enforcement actions.

Year (latest) Contaminant Category Count EPA Record
2025 Lead and Copper Rule MR 16 SDWIS / AZ0410188 / 5000
2023 E. COLI MR 12 SDWIS / AZ0410188 / 3014
2023 Revised Total Coliform Rule Other 5 SDWIS / AZ0410188 / 8000
2022 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 18 SDWIS / AZ0410188 / 7000
2020 Revised Total Coliform Rule TT 4 SDWIS / AZ0410188 / 8000
2020 Public Notice Other 2 SDWIS / AZ0410188 / 7500
2019 Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 3 SDWIS / AZ0410188 / 8000
2014 Coliform (TCR) MR 13 SDWIS / AZ0410188 / 3100
2001 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 1 SDWIS / AZ0410188 / 2378
2001 Xylenes, Total MR 1 SDWIS / AZ0410188 / 2955
1991 Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 3 SDWIS / AZ0410188 / 4000
1990 Selenium MR 2 SDWIS / AZ0410188 / 1045
1990 Arsenic MR 2 SDWIS / AZ0410188 / 1005
1990 Chromium MR 2 SDWIS / AZ0410188 / 1020
1990 Cadmium MR 2 SDWIS / AZ0410188 / 1015

How DESERT WATER COOP Compares

Cross-reference this system's record against state averages and the federal MCL framework for context.

Metric DESERT WATER COOP Arizona avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 121 153.3 SDWA compliance — any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 4 10.5 Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection None 95.4% EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 150 4,904 Sizing context for compliance burden

Sources: EPA SDWIS and EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (40 CFR Part 141). State averages computed across 1,493 regulated public water systems in Arizona.

Federal MCL reference — Safe Drinking Water Act thresholds ▼
Contaminant Federal MCL / Action Level Note
Lead 0 mg/L (Action Level: 0.015 mg/L) Lead and Copper Rule treatment technique
Arsenic 0.010 mg/L (10 ppb) Health-based MCL since 2006
Total Coliform Treatment technique (RTCR) Indicator organism, monitoring trigger
PFOA / PFOS (PFAS) 4.0 ppt each (final 2024 rule) Compliance deadline 2029
Nitrate (as N) 10 mg/L Acute health risk for infants

Frequently Asked Questions

Is DESERT WATER COOP water safe to drink? ▼
DESERT WATER COOP (PWS ID: AZ0410188) has 121 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 150 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does DESERT WATER COOP serve? ▼
DESERT WATER COOP serves 150 people in TUCSON, Arizona. It is a Public/Private-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 51 service connections.
What type of violations does DESERT WATER COOP have? ▼
DESERT WATER COOP has 121 total violations: 4 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 83 monitoring/reporting violations, and 4 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in DESERT WATER COOP water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for DESERT WATER COOP under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does DESERT WATER COOP use? ▼
DESERT WATER COOP uses Groundwater as its primary water source. It is classified as a Community Water System (CWS), serving residential populations year-round.
Where does this data come from? ▼
All data comes from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and the UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program. SDWIS tracks compliance for all public water systems regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act.

Explore PlainWater

Water in Arizona

All systems in state
All States

Water quality by state
Contaminants

PFAS & other pollutants
Guides

Understanding water quality

Related Data for Arizona

Environmental Data → Natural Hazards → Air Quality → Healthcare Access → Climate Data →
Data Sources: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), Q4 2025. This data is provided for informational purposes only.

Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Related

Browse all → | Rankings →
Data sourced from $official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainWater Editorial