Yuma's Water Quality Report, Explained

Yuma's 2025 water quality report covers Colorado River water treated at two plants. For home treatment, the key lines are lead at a 1.1 ppb 90th percentile, no detectable PFAS, and sodium of 110 ppm. Hardness isn't in the report; the city's FAQ puts it at 18–22 grains per gallon.

Two places to look

The annual report, also called the Consumer Confidence Report, covers public water system AZ0414024 and lists what was detected against federal limits. The city also offers printed copies on request. Hardness isn't in it. For that, the city's water FAQ gives 18 to 22 grains per gallon, or 310 to 380 mg/L, and says to use that range when setting a softener. Reading both takes about ten minutes, and they answer most of the questions a salesperson will raise.

The figures that matter at home

• Sodium, 110 ppm at both plants: worth knowing before adding a salt-based softener.
• Chlorine, 0.57 ppm average: the disinfectant, and the taste carbon removes.
• Fluoride, 0.41 and 0.38 ppm: added at both plants because voters mandated it.
• Nitrate, 0.42 and 0.35 ppm: far below the 10 ppm limit.
• Arsenic, 1.1 and 1.7 ppb: below the 10 ppb limit.

Lead and copper

In the city's 2024 round of home tap sampling, the 90th percentile for lead was 1.1 ppb, with none of 100 sites above the 15 ppb action level; copper came in at 0.073 ppm, also with none above. The report says no lead service lines have been identified in the city so far, and inspections continue. Lead that does appear usually comes from household plumbing and fixtures.

PFAS and lithium

Yuma sampled for 29 PFAS in 2023 and 2024 under EPA's UCMR 5 program, and all results were not detected at both plants. The same program measured lithium, which occurs naturally and has no federal limit: an average of 70.6 ppb at Main Street and 110 ppb at Agua Viva.

Turning the report into a decision

The hardness figure is the case for a water softener system. The sodium figure is the case for reverse osmosis at the sink. The city says hard water isn't a health risk, and that food is usually a bigger source of sodium than tap water, so both decisions are about comfort, taste and equipment life. One caution: these numbers describe City of Yuma water. If your home is on a private well or a different supplier, they don't apply, and a test of your own water matters more. Prices are on the water softener cost in Yuma page.