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  • Public Water Systems - Drinking Water

    Special Notice:

    Drinking Water safety during COVID-19 pandemic - EPA recommends that Americans continue to use and drink tap water as usual. The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that the, “presence of the COVID-19 virus has not been detected in drinking-water supplies and based on current evidence the risk to water supplies is low.”1 Additionally, according to the CDC, COVID-19 is mainly thought to spread between people who are in close contact with one another. Read more from the CDC about transmission of COVID-19. Further, EPA’s drinking water regulations require treatment at public water systems to remove or kill pathogens, including viruses. Additional COVID-19 information is available on the Pima County COVID-19 webpage

    1 World Health Organization. 2020. Technical Brief. Water, sanitation, hygiene and waste management for the COVID-19 virus. March. Reference number: WHO/2019-NcOV/IPC_WASH/2020.1

    Website: https://www.who.int/publications-detail/water-sanitation-hygiene-and-waste-management-for-covid-19

    PDEQ Public Water Systems - Drinking Water

    The Pima County Department of Environmental Quality (PDEQ) has delegated authority from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) to enforce applicable requirements of the Arizona Administrative Code (A.A.C.) Title 18, Chapters 4 and 5 relating to Public Water Systems (PWS). A PWS is defined as a water system that serves 15 or more connections, or 25 or more people, for more than 60 days a year. PDEQ is responsible for approximately 160 PWS located in Pima County. 

    Water TankProcess for Plan Review Approval

    University of Arizona Well Owner's Guide to Water Supply, Second Edition

    Update your Public Water System's contact information

    Operations, Maintenance, Monitoring, and Reporting Compliance

    PDEQ conducts inspections of regulated PWS to ensure that the construction and operation are in accordance with ADEQ's Safe Drinking Water rules. These PWS inspections determine whether minimum design criteria are being met and maintained. PDEQ follows A.A.C. R18-5-502 and ADEQ's Engineering Bulletin 10 to make these determinations. In addition, the requirements for adequate water supply disinfection, described in ADEQ's Engineering Bulletin 8, are also evaluated through inspection and, if necessary, testing and reporting by the system operator. PDEQ makes monitoring and reporting compliance determinations and takes applicable enforcement actions for PWS that are under PDEQ’s authority.

    Fees

    Payment Instructions

    • After the project submittal is successfully processed, an invoice of Fees will be sent back to the submitter, at which point payment can be made.
    • Fees are payable online (instructions are below) or in person at the Development Services counter located at 201 N. Stone Ave., Tucson, AZ 85701.
    • To pay online:
      1. Click the Project, Permits, Payments link of DSD’s website
      2. Input the project’s record/permit number into the search bar in the upper right corner of the page (where it reads "Search by Address, Record #, etc") and search for it
      3. Scroll down to the Fees tab, click on any unpaid fees, and pay them by inputting your credit card information
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    Department of Environmental Quality

    33 N. Stone Ave., Suite 700
    Tucson, AZ 85701

    Phone: (520) 724-7400
    Fax: (520) 838-7432


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