El Mirage Water Quality

5 EPA violations on record (most recent 2023). Arsenic is a naturally occurring element that dissolves into groundwater from rock and is also released by mining and industry. Long-term exposure is associated with several cancers and with skin, cardiovascular, and developmental harm. It is common in parts of the Southwest.

4 EPA violations on record (most recent 2025). Nitrate enters water mainly from fertilizer runoff, septic systems, and animal waste. High levels can interfere with the blood's ability to carry oxygen, a special danger for infants. Long-term low-level exposure has also been linked to elevated cancer risk in some studies.

1 EPA violation on record (most recent 2021). Radium-226 is a naturally radioactive isotope that seeps from rock into groundwater. Over years of exposure it concentrates in bone and raises the risk of bone and other cancers. It is regulated together with radium-228 under the combined radium standard.

1 EPA violation on record (most recent 2021). Atrazine is one of the most widely used weed killers and reaches water through agricultural runoff. It is an endocrine disruptor associated with reproductive and developmental effects, and concentrations tend to spike seasonally after application. It is most common in farming regions.

1 EPA violation on record (most recent 2021). Uranium occurs naturally in rock and dissolves into groundwater, with extra contributions from mining in some regions. It is both a radioactive and a toxic metal; long-term exposure mainly damages the kidneys and increases cancer risk. It is widespread in Western groundwater.

1 EPA violation on record (most recent 2021). Radium is a naturally radioactive element that leaches from rock into groundwater. Long-term exposure increases the risk of bone cancer and other cancers because it concentrates in bone. The federal limit covers the combined activity of radium-226 and radium-228.

1 EPA violation on record (most recent 2021). Beta and photon emitters are radioactive contaminants that can come from natural deposits or from nuclear activity. Long-term exposure increases cancer risk. The federal limit is expressed as an annual dose rather than a simple concentration.

1 EPA violation on record (most recent 2021). PFOA is a long-lived "forever chemical" once used to make nonstick and stain-resistant products. It builds up in the body over time and is associated with certain cancers, immune effects, and developmental harm. EPA finalized a strict drinking-water limit for it in 2024.

1 EPA violation on record (most recent 2021). PFOS is another "forever chemical" from older firefighting foams and consumer coatings. Like PFOA it accumulates in the body and is linked to immune, thyroid, liver, and developmental effects. EPA set an enforceable limit for it in 2024.

Detected in the supply below the federal limit. PFAS are "forever chemicals" that don't break down and accumulate over time. Compounds found: PFBS, PFHxA, PFOA, PFPeA.

El Mirage's water is very hard. Hardness isn't a health risk, but it drives scale on fixtures and water heaters, shortens appliance life, and leaves skin and hair dry.