Water Quality
Water quality
The Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) is responsible for the regulation and the management of Arizona's water. The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ), meanwhile, monitors, reports, and protects Arizona's groundwater quality. Water quality information can be obtained from ADEQ's Water Quality Division website.
Special well construction considerations are necessary at sites with mineralized or contaminated groundwater (A.A.C. R12-15-812(B)), such as Water Quality Assurance Revolving Fund (WQARF) sites. For example, the Pinal Creek Group (PCG) noted that special well construction and abandonment procedures are needed within the Pinal Creek WQARF site to protect groundwater in the portion of the Gila Conglomerate that is not currently impacted from the contaminated groundwater in the alluvial aquifer or upper portion of the Gila Conglomerate. Details of the special well construction and abandonment requirements for the Pinal Creek WQARF site, as well as for other sites with known groundwater contamination may be found here:
- Pinal Creek WQARF Site and map,
- Yuma Marine Corps Air Station CERCLA Site,
- Apache Powder NPL Site,
- All other sites with groundwater contamination.
A map of the all of the Water Quality Assurance Revolving Fund (WQARF), Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA), and Department of Defense (DOD) contamination sites in Arizona can be found here. For the definitions of WQARF, CERCLA, and DOD contamination site, please visit the Wells Terminology page.
Visit the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) website for information regarding testing the water quality of a private well. This information includes suggested testing schedules, a list of labs that test water quality, and helpful tips to protect your well from contamination.