Tucson Water
Tucson, Arizona · 2024 data
Tucson pairs the most rigorous monitoring story in the cohort with unusual candor — it volunteers far more testing than required and openly documents a violation most utilities would bury. The only thing holding it back is format: all of that lives in a polished PDF with no responsive online version.
What their report looks like
How it scored, pillar by pillar
Weighted across five pillars for a 83/100 overall. Each note explains why this report earned that score.
Plain-language clarity25% of score
Plain-language framing throughout; even the monitoring violation is explained in terms a resident can follow rather than regulatory shorthand.
A 5/5 looks like: Every term is translated, units are made tangible (e.g. an Olympic-pool analogy), and each section opens with what it means for you.
Contaminant transparency25% of score
Exceptional — 38,792 voluntary samples against 12,549 required, a plainly disclosed missed-monitoring violation naming all six parameters and how it was closed, and a stated policy of pulling any well with detectable PFOA or PFOS.
A 5/5 looks like: PFAS, lead and any exceedances are shown with real values against the limits, and problems are disclosed plainly rather than buried.
Information design20% of score
Clean, well-organized data presentation, though it stops short of the chart-against-the-limit visual encoding the very top reports use.
A 5/5 looks like: Contaminant data is visually encoded — charts against limits, multi-year trends, comparisons a layperson reads at a glance.
Digital accessibility & delivery20% of score
A polished but downloadable PDF — there is no responsive web-native report and no address lookup, which caps how usable it is on a phone.
A 5/5 looks like: A responsive web-native report with navigation, charts, and an address lookup — not just a PDF.
Timeliness & completeness10% of score
Recent (2024) data with a thorough panel; the voluntary-monitoring program makes it one of the most complete in the cohort.
A 5/5 looks like: The most recent data year, with a complete contaminant panel including unregulated/emerging compounds.
marks the cohort average across all 25 reviewed reports.
What it does best
- The most rigorous voluntary-monitoring story in the cohort: 38,792 voluntary samples against 12,549 required.
- Discloses a missed-monitoring violation in plain language, naming the six parameters and how it was closed.
- A standing policy of removing any well with detectable PFOA or PFOS — and it says so.
Where it falls short
It is a polished PDF, not a web-native report — there is no responsive online version or address lookup.
How it compares
Tucson Water's report ranks #3 of 25 reviewed utilities, with a report-clarity score of 83/100 against a cohort median of 69. That places it in the top 12%.
See the full leaderboardWhat even this report can't tell you
A report describes the water leaving the plant, not what reaches your tap — your building's plumbing is where lead usually enters.
See Tucson's water data
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