{STATE.name} water health
Flood gauges, beach advisories, drinking-water compliance, sewer overflows, and algal-bloom forecasts — one place to read whether {STATE.name}'s lakes, rivers, and tap water are safe today. Pulls live from USGS, EGLE, EPA SDWIS, NPDES, and NOAA NCCOS.
Arizona Flood Gauges — Live USGS River Levels
Source: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) · live via /api/gauges
Real-time flood-stage status for 200+ USGS stream gauges across Arizona watersheds. See which rivers are at action, minor flood, or major flood stage right now.
USGS stream gauges monitor river and stream levels across Arizona continuously. Each gauge has thresholds — Action Stage, Minor Flood, Moderate Flood, Major Flood — set by the National Weather Service for the communities downstream. When a gauge crosses Action Stage, low-lying property begins to flood.
- If you live near a river that's at Action stage or higher, check the NWS Flood Watch / Warning page for your county.
- Sign up for free Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) on your phone — turn them on in Settings → Notifications → Emergency Alerts.
- Use https://water.weather.gov to see river forecast hydrographs (predicted crest height and time).
- Never drive through standing water — 6 inches can stall a car, 12 inches floats most vehicles.
Arizona Beach Advisories — Live E. coli & Algal Bloom Status
Source: EGLE BeachGuard (Arizona Beach Monitoring Program) · live via /api/beaches
Live list of Arizona beaches under advisory or closure for E. coli, sewage, or algal blooms. EGLE BeachGuard data updated daily.
Arizona tests over 400 public beaches throughout the summer (May–September) for E. coli and algal toxins. A beach goes under advisory when E. coli exceeds 300 colonies per 100mL of water — that's the level the EPA links to a ~3.6% risk of gastrointestinal illness from swimming. A closure means contamination is severe enough that the beach is closed to the public.
- Before swimming, check the EGLE BeachGuard daily list for your beach.
- Avoid swallowing lake water — most bacterial risk is from accidental ingestion.
- Don't swim within 24-48 hours of heavy rain (storm runoff carries the most contamination).
- If you swim at an advisory beach and feel sick within 5 days, call your county health department.
Arizona Drinking Water Alerts — EPA & State Boil-Water Notices
Source: EPA SDWIS · EGLE Drinking Water Division · live via /api/drinking-water
Active boil-water advisories, lead-action exceedances, and EPA Safe Drinking Water Act violations for Arizona public water systems.
Arizona has 1,400+ public water systems serving roughly 80% of the state population. Federal Safe Drinking Water Act standards cover lead, copper, bacteria, nitrate, arsenic, and disinfection by-products. The Flint water crisis (2014–15) and ongoing PFAS issues have made Arizona one of the most actively monitored states in the country.
- During a Boil Water Advisory: boil water 1 full minute before drinking, cooking, ice, or brushing teeth.
- For lead concerns: run cold water 30 seconds before drinking if a faucet has been unused for several hours.
- Get your annual Consumer Confidence Report from your water utility every July.
- For wells: test annually for bacteria and nitrate, every 3 years for arsenic, every 5 years for radon.
Arizona Harmful Algal Blooms (HAB) — NOAA Great Lakes Outlook
Source: NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab (GLERL) · live via /api/algal-blooms
NOAA Great Lakes Harmful Algal Bloom Outlook for Lake Erie, Saginaw Bay, and other Arizona waters. Bloom severity, location, and drinking-water risk.
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are excessive growths of cyanobacteria (sometimes called blue-green algae) that can produce toxins like microcystin. In Arizona they're most common in western Lake Erie and Saginaw Bay during late summer. The 2014 Toledo water crisis — when microcystin contaminated drinking water for 500,000 people — was caused by a Lake Erie HAB.
- Do not swim, drink, or let pets enter water that looks like spilled paint, has green scum, or smells musty.
- If exposed, rinse skin and eyes with clean water immediately. Watch for nausea, vomiting, or skin rash.
- If your drinking water comes from Lake Erie or Saginaw Bay, follow your water utility's daily advisories.
- Report a suspected bloom to EGLE at AlgaeBloom@Michigan.gov with photos and location.
Arizona Environmental Health Burden — CDC PLACES County Index
Source: CDC PLACES (Population Level Analysis and Community Estimates) · live via /api/places
Census-tract environmental health and chronic disease burden across Arizona from CDC PLACES. Asthma, COPD, cancer, cardiovascular, and air-quality impact.
CDC PLACES is the first national project to map chronic disease rates, health behaviors, and prevention measures at the census-tract level. For Arizona it shows where asthma, COPD, cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease are concentrated — often overlapping with industrial corridors (downriver Detroit, southwest Detroit, central Saginaw) and historic redlining areas.
- Find your census tract's health profile at https://www.cdc.gov/places/
- If you live in a high-asthma area, ask your doctor about an asthma action plan and free MDHHS home-visit programs.
- EPA EJScreen maps cumulative environmental risk on top of this data: https://www.epa.gov/ejscreen
- Detroit residents: free indoor air-quality assessments are available via the Detroit Health Department.