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Community Water System · PWS AZ0411052

Tonto Basin Water - Cactus Forest

Payson, Arizona 85541 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 613 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

613
People served
84
EPA violations
32
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 84 drinking-water violations at Tonto Basin Water - Cactus Forest, 38% of them health-based - below the Arizona per-system average.

84
Total EPA violations on record
38%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
613
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Tonto Basin Water - Cactus Forest

Tonto Basin Water - Cactus Forest is a public/private-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 613 residents in Payson, Arizona (Pinal County) through 263 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 84 total violations for this system , of which 32 (38%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 33 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2021.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Arsenic, recorded in 29 violations (MCL, health-based). 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. Statewide, 145 of 152 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (95.4%).

Tonto Basin Water - Cactus Forest's 84 violations sit below the Arizona average.

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
613
Total Violations
84
Health-Based Violations
32
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Public/Private
Connections
263
County
Pinal
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
32
Monitoring Violations
33
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Arsenic MCL 29 2021
Arsenic MR 17 2013
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 14 2016
Coliform (TCR) MR 7 2011
Chlorine MR 6 2010
Coliform (TCR) MCL 3 2012
Lead and Copper Rule MR 2 2006
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U 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 Tonto Basin Water - Cactus Forest.

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 AZ0411052 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 Tonto Basin Water - Cactus Forest 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
2021 Arsenic MCL 29 SDWIS / AZ0411052 / 1005
2016 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 14 SDWIS / AZ0411052 / 7000
2013 Arsenic MR 17 SDWIS / AZ0411052 / 1005
2012 Coliform (TCR) MCL 3 SDWIS / AZ0411052 / 3100
2011 Coliform (TCR) MR 7 SDWIS / AZ0411052 / 3100
2010 Chlorine MR 6 SDWIS / AZ0411052 / 0999
2006 Lead and Copper Rule MR 2 SDWIS / AZ0411052 / 5000
1987 Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 1 SDWIS / AZ0411052 / 4000

How Tonto Basin Water - Cactus Forest Compares

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

Metric Tonto Basin Water - Cactus Forest Arizona avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 84 153.3 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 32 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 613 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 (EPA proposed extending to 2031, not yet final as of May 2026)
Nitrate (as N) 10 mg/L Acute health risk for infants

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Tonto Basin Water - Cactus Forest water safe to drink? ▼
Tonto Basin Water - Cactus Forest (PWS ID: AZ0411052) has 84 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 613 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Tonto Basin Water - Cactus Forest serve? ▼
Tonto Basin Water - Cactus Forest serves 613 people in Payson, Arizona. It is a Public/Private-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 263 service connections.
What type of violations does Tonto Basin Water - Cactus Forest have? ▼
Tonto Basin Water - Cactus Forest has 84 total violations: 32 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 33 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Tonto Basin Water - Cactus Forest water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Tonto Basin Water - Cactus Forest under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Tonto Basin Water - Cactus Forest use? ▼
Tonto Basin Water - Cactus Forest 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.
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.

Data sourced from EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 PFAS monitoring data. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainWater Editorial

Every figure on PlainWater is rendered directly from EPA SDWIS drinking-water data, no number is typed in by an editor. This system's figures are rendered directly from EPA SDWIS data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.