Some states have much worse drinking water quality than others, new data reveals.
Data from the Environmental Protection Agency shows how many Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) violations were recorded in each state in 2023, with Pennsylvania leading the pack by far.
SDWA is a U.S. federal law that protects public drinking water supplies. It groups violations into three main categories.
These include health-based violations—such as failure to remove harmful chemicals or pathogens—monitoring and reporting violations, and other violations, which may include failing to notify the public about water quality issues.
Which States Have the Least Safe Drinking Water?
According to the data, Pennsylvania had the most water violations in 2023, with 24,525, followed by Texas with 15,340 and West Virginia with 7,473. 14,808 of Pennsylvania's violations were related to monitoring and reporting.
Fourth was New York with 6,743 violations, fifth was Oklahoma with 5,188, sixth was Florida with 5,187, and seventh came Oregon with 5,140. In 8th, 9th and 10th place were Alaska, Michigan and Illinois, with 4,715, 4,551 and 4,469 violations, respectively.
Which States Have the Cleanest Drinking Water?
The state with the fewest violations was Hawaii, with a mere two, followed by Delaware with 117, Kentucky with 139 and Nebraska with 190. The rest of the bottom ten include North Dakota at 233, South Carolina at 252, South Dakota at 265, Minnesota at 369, Rhode Island at 392 and Maryland at 480.
These violations are assigned to the individual public water systems (PWS) responsible, of which each state has thousands. Of Pennsylvania's 8,083 PWS, 3,660—45 percent—were had at least one violation.
These drinking water violations, especially when it comes to the presence of harmful substances or pathogens, can lead to adverse health outcomes.
Pathogens like E. coli, Salmonella, Cryptosporidium, Giardia lamblia and norovirus, which are contracted via fecal contamination from human or animal waste, can lead to gastrointestinal illnesses.
Additionally, chemicals like arsenic, lead, mercury and pesticides can cause cancer as well as both neurological and organ damage after long-term exposure.
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Is Tap Water Safe To Drink?
Due to the EPA's regulations, tap water in the U.S. is considered safe to drink.
"The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) was established to protect the quality of drinking water in the U.S. This law focuses on all waters actually or potentially designed for drinking use, whether from above ground or underground sources," the EPA says on its website.
However, rural or remote areas may rely on private wells, which are not regulated under the SDWA, and lead pipes in older homes can leach lead into the water.
Is Tap Water Better Than Bottled or Filtered Water?
Whilst drinking bottled water avoids any risk of tap water contamination, it is much more expensive than tap water (often 200–2,000 times more per gallon).
Additionally, in the U.S., bottled water is regulated by the FDA, which has less stringent oversight compared to the EPA's regulation of tap water, and some bottled water is just filtered tap water anyway.
Fluoride is present in drinking water at low levels in many states by design, as it helps to improve dental health.
"Studies prove water fluoridation continues to be effective in reducing dental decay by at least 25 percent in children and adults, even in the era of widespread availability of fluoride from other sources, such as fluoride toothpaste," the American Dental Association says on its website.
Do All US States Have Fluoride in Tap Water?
All U.S. states have at least some regions that receive fluoride in their tap water, with some having a much greater percentage of fluoridation than others.
Which States Have the Lowest Concentration of Fluoride?
Data from the CDC previously revealed that, at only 34.37 percent, Idaho has the lowest percentage of its population provided with fluorinated water, with Louisiana and Utah also relatively low at 37.87 percent 43.55 percent, respectively.
Which States Have the Highest Concentration of Fluoride?
Kentucky has the highest rate of fluoridation at 99.73 percent, followed by Minnesota, Illinois, North Dakota, and Georgia at 98.74 percent, 98.21 percent, 96.45 percent and 95.07 percent, respectively.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has claimed online that fluoride in drinking water is bad for public health, posting to X, formerly Twitter, on November 2: "fluoride is an industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders and thyroid disease."
"Like many common substances essential to life and good health—salt, iron, vitamins A and D, chlorine, oxygen and even water itself—fluoride can be toxic in massive quantities," the ADA said.
"Acute fluoride toxicity occurring from the ingestion of optimally fluoridated water is impossible."
However, reaching fluoride toxicity would involve a 155-pound man drinking 120 gallons of water fluoridated at 0.7 mg/L—the recommended limit for U.S. drinking water—all at once, the ADA says.
"Expert panels consisting of scientists from the United States and other countries, with expertise in various health and scientific disciplines, have considered the available evidence in peer-reviewed literature and have not found convincing scientific evidence linking community water fluoridation with any potential adverse health effect or systemic disorder such as an increased risk for cancer, Down syndrome, heart disease, osteoporosis and bone fracture, immune disorders, low intelligence, renal disorders, Alzheimer [sic] disease, or allergic reactions," the CDC said in a statement in May.
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