Introduction
The quality of tap water in the US varies greatly from state to state, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Although the EPA has enforced strict standards on public drinking water since 1974, an analysis of state-level data from 2016 found that there were still 7.3 million Americans in over 5,000 communities across 23 states who were drinking water with unacceptable levels of contaminants. The EPA’s own data reveals that certain states are much better at providing safe drinking water than others. For instance, Rhode Island and New York lead the way when it comes to compliance with national standards for safe drinking water; thus far in 2019, 99% of both states’ tests have met or exceeded federal standards. On the other end of the spectrum are states like Pennsylvania and Arizona, where only 88% and 76% of their tests respectively have passed inspection. Even more concerning is that many states have not yet tested for up to 20 known contaminants required by federal law; as such, even if they pass their tests now, future tests may reveal dangerous levels of pollutants that had previously gone undetected. Regardless, it is clear that there is a wide disparity between various states when it comes to providing safe tap water for its citizens.
# | State | Water Quality Regulation Violations |
---|---|---|
1 | Hawaii | 2 |
2 | District of Columbia | 7 |
3 | Nebraska | 121 |
4 | Delaware | 131 |
5 | Kentucky | 142 |
6 | South Carolina | 196 |
7 | North Dakota | 199 |
8 | Rhode Island | 243 |
9 | South Dakota | 303 |
10 | Nevada | 358 |
11 | Alabama | 376 |
12 | Maryland | 400 |
13 | Massachusetts | 545 |
14 | Minnesota | 545 |
15 | Wyoming | 632 |
16 | Tennessee | 671 |
17 | New Hampshire | 673 |
18 | Utah | 815 |
19 | Iowa | 852 |
20 | Mississippi | 1,129 |
21 | Arkansas | 1,135 |
22 | Kansas | 1,140 |
23 | Virginia | 1,288 |
24 | Georgia | 1,312 |
25 | Vermont | 1,376 |
26 | Missouri | 1,820 |
27 | California | 2,038 |
28 | Montana | 2,092 |
29 | Oregon | 2,317 |
30 | Idaho | 2,503 |
31 | North Carolina | 2,877 |
32 | Connecticut | 2,900 |
33 | Wisconsin | 2,903 |
34 | Maine | 2,907 |
35 | Colorado | 2,929 |
36 | Louisiana | 3,103 |
37 | Arizona | 3,122 |
38 | Florida | 3,192 |
39 | Ohio | 3,598 |
40 | New Mexico | 3,700 |
41 | New Jersey | 3,815 |
42 | Washington | 3,907 |
43 | Indiana | 4,612 |
44 | Illinois | 4,637 |
45 | Alaska | 4,650 |
46 | Michigan | 5,111 |
47 | Oklahoma | 5,379 |
48 | New York | 5,607 |
49 | West Virginia | 8,490 |
50 | Pennsylvania | 21,527 |
51 | Texas | 23,628 |
Water Quality in the US
The Environmental Protection Agency in the United States is responsible for monitoring tap water quality across all 50 states. In order to measure the quality of tap water, the EPA pursues a multi-faceted approach that incorporates both chemical and biological indicators. The agency has established regulatory limits for over 90 contaminants, including lead, arsenic, nitrates and chlorine, as well as hundreds of organic compounds such as pesticides, industrial solvents, pharmaceuticals and byproducts from disinfectants. They also use various other techniques to determine if aquatic life can safely live in a given body of water or if algal blooms are present. Furthermore, they utilize biological testing to identify potentially dangerous microorganisms such as E. coli and cryptosporidium in drinking water sources. Each state is then required to submit regular reports to the EPA summarizing the results of these tests over a period of time so any changes in quality can be detected quickly. The EPA’s monitoring of tap water quality in the US not only protects human health but also aquatic ecosystems across the country.
Water Quality Regulation Violations by State
Alabama
Water Quality Regulation Violations
376
Ranked in the US
#11
Alaska
Water Quality Regulation Violations
4,650
Ranked in the US
#45
Arizona
Water Quality Regulation Violations
3,122
Ranked in the US
#37
Arkansas
Water Quality Regulation Violations
1,135
Ranked in the US
#21
California
Water Quality Regulation Violations
2,038
Ranked in the US
#27
Colorado
Water Quality Regulation Violations
2,929
Ranked in the US
#35
Connecticut
Water Quality Regulation Violations
2,900
Ranked in the US
#32
Delaware
Water Quality Regulation Violations
131
Ranked in the US
#4
District of Columbia
Water Quality Regulation Violations
7
Ranked in the US
#2
Florida
Water Quality Regulation Violations
3,192
Ranked in the US
#38
Georgia
Water Quality Regulation Violations
1,312
Ranked in the US
#24
Hawaii
Water Quality Regulation Violations
2
Ranked in the US
#1
Idaho
Water Quality Regulation Violations
2,503
Ranked in the US
#30
Illinois
Water Quality Regulation Violations
4,637
Ranked in the US
#44
Indiana
Water Quality Regulation Violations
4,612
Ranked in the US
#43
Iowa
Water Quality Regulation Violations
852
Ranked in the US
#19
Kansas
Water Quality Regulation Violations
1,140
Ranked in the US
#22
Kentucky
Water Quality Regulation Violations
142
Ranked in the US
#5
Louisiana
Water Quality Regulation Violations
3,103
Ranked in the US
#36
Maine
Water Quality Regulation Violations
2,907
Ranked in the US
#34
Maryland
Water Quality Regulation Violations
400
Ranked in the US
#12
Massachusetts
Water Quality Regulation Violations
545
Ranked in the US
#13
Michigan
Water Quality Regulation Violations
5,111
Ranked in the US
#46
Minnesota
Water Quality Regulation Violations
545
Ranked in the US
#14
Mississippi
Water Quality Regulation Violations
1,129
Ranked in the US
#20
Missouri
Water Quality Regulation Violations
1,820
Ranked in the US
#26
Montana
Water Quality Regulation Violations
2,092
Ranked in the US
#28
Nebraska
Water Quality Regulation Violations
121
Ranked in the US
#3
Nevada
Water Quality Regulation Violations
358
Ranked in the US
#10
New Hampshire
Water Quality Regulation Violations
673
Ranked in the US
#17
New Jersey
Water Quality Regulation Violations
3,815
Ranked in the US
#41
New Mexico
Water Quality Regulation Violations
3,700
Ranked in the US
#40
New York
Water Quality Regulation Violations
5,607
Ranked in the US
#48
North Carolina
Water Quality Regulation Violations
2,877
Ranked in the US
#31
North Dakota
Water Quality Regulation Violations
199
Ranked in the US
#7
Ohio
Water Quality Regulation Violations
3,598
Ranked in the US
#39
Oklahoma
Water Quality Regulation Violations
5,379
Ranked in the US
#47
Oregon
Water Quality Regulation Violations
2,317
Ranked in the US
#29
Pennsylvania
Water Quality Regulation Violations
21,527
Ranked in the US
#50
Rhode Island
Water Quality Regulation Violations
243
Ranked in the US
#8
South Carolina
Water Quality Regulation Violations
196
Ranked in the US
#6
South Dakota
Water Quality Regulation Violations
303
Ranked in the US
#9
Tennessee
Water Quality Regulation Violations
671
Ranked in the US
#16
Texas
Water Quality Regulation Violations
23,628
Ranked in the US
#51
Utah
Water Quality Regulation Violations
815
Ranked in the US
#18
Vermont
Water Quality Regulation Violations
1,376
Ranked in the US
#25
Virginia
Water Quality Regulation Violations
1,288
Ranked in the US
#23
Washington
Water Quality Regulation Violations
3,907
Ranked in the US
#42
West Virginia
Water Quality Regulation Violations
8,490
Ranked in the US
#49
Wisconsin
Water Quality Regulation Violations
2,903
Ranked in the US
#33
Wyoming
Water Quality Regulation Violations
632
Ranked in the US
#15