Drinking Water Is Carefully Monitored and Tested

In the late 1960's and early 1970's, it became apparent that some drinking water suppliers were more conscientious than others in treating their public's drinking water. The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), was passed in 1974 by congress and amended in 1986 and 1996. It gives the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the authority to set drinking water standards for public drinking water in the United States.  "The EPA Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water (OGWDW) along with EPA's ten regional drinking water programs, oversees implementation of the Safe Drinking Water Act, which is the national law safeguarding tap water in America."

Primary Standards
Have a set standard maximum levels for substances that may be a threat to health. Currently, primary standards have been established for more than 80 different substances such as: coliform bacteria, pesticides, and some metals. Many of these substances are never found in the City's water but are be tested for nonetheless. Many additional tests are performed for substances which do not yet have set regulatory levels Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule.

Secondary Standards
set recommended maximum levels for substances that affect water's taste, color, odor, or appearance.

Tempe's Water Laboratory is located at the South Tempe Water Treatment Plant. The Water Quality Lab staff sample and test the City's drinking water for the regulated substances including:

Bacteria
a minimum of 120 water samples from locations throughout the City are tested each month for the presence of coliform bacteria.

Inorganic Chemicals
such as lead, mercury, chromium,  nitrate, and chlorine

Organic Chemicals
such as pesticides and industrial cleaners.

The laboratory performs thousands of tests on the City's drinking water throughout the year. The results of these tests are reported to the Maricopa County Health Department and the Arizona Department of Health Services who in turn, report these results to the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

The City's drinking water consistently meets all the standards and regulations of the Safe Drinking Water Act. If there were ever a time when the drinking water failed to meet these standards for water quality, Tempe residents would be notified through the news media and special alerts. For complete list of water quality data see typical values or the most current consumer confidence report.