Picacho Water Quality

5 EPA violations on record (most recent 2020). 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.

2 EPA violations on record (most recent 2024). 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.

8 EPA violations on record (most recent 2023). 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.

Picacho'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.