Air - The Payson region undoubtedly enjoys the purest air in the West as it is one of only three pure-air-ozone belts to be found in the world.
Water – The Town of Payson Water Department is a public water utility that supplies water resources to approximately 16,000 people within a 19.5 square mile area. The water system includes 42 active production wells, over 8 million gallons of storage capacity, over 120 miles of distribution lines, booster-pumping stations, water recharge project, and water treatment facilities.
Currently, Payson obtains all of its drinking water from groundwater that is pumped by production wells from the Payson area’s granite aquifer. The Town has recently secured legal access to surface water supplies via C.C. Cragin Reservoir (Blue Ridge). This will provide an indefinite supply of surface water that will replace groundwater as Payson’s primary water source.
Contamination – The Payson area is embedded in the Arizona Rim Country and almost entirely surrounded by the public lands of the Tonto National Forest. Given the absence of moderate-to-heavy industry or manufacturing in a locale as pristine as this, with the water and air purity noted earlier, harmful by-products or contaminates, which would threaten the quality of life, are virtually non-existent.