New York ranks number one, with 53.3% of its population having been served by public water systems with health violations from 2019-2023
- New Jersey and Louisiana rank second and third, with 38.6% and 36.5% of their populations having been served by bad quality public water
- North Dakota has the safest drinking water, with just 0.5% of the population having been served by public water systems with health violations
New research has revealed the states with the most unsafe drinking water, with New York ranking number one.
PFAS Water Experts analyzed data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on water quality violations in public water systems (PWS) from 2019-2023. A PWS is any system providing water for human consumption, from smaller systems, such as those in schools or offices, to larger ones such as New York’s Croton Water System, which covers 375 square miles of the state. There are 148,000 PWS in the US.
The analysis focused on ‘health-based’ (contaminants that pose long term risks, such as lead) and ‘acute health-based’ (contaminants that pose an immediate danger to health, such as E. coli) water quality violations.
They identified the number of people in each state served by PWS with these violations and compared these figures to the state’s average population from 2019-2023. This revealed the states with the highest percentage of people affected by contaminated water.
New York ranks number one, with 53.3% of the population having been served by PWS with health-based or acute-health based violations from 2019-2023. In total, the state has reported 365,865 acute-health based violations and 10,182,249 health-based violations. These make up 82.2% of all PWS violations in the state.
New Jersey ranks second, with 38.6% of the population having been served by PWS with any health-related violations. The state recorded 1,279,034 acute health-based violations and 2,807,128 health-based violations over the five-year period, which made up a combined 44.8% of all PWS violations in the state.
Louisiana follows in third place, with 36.5% of its population affected from 2019-2023. The state reported 319,056 acute health-based violations and 1,598,546 health-based violations. These accounted for 62% of all PWS violations over the five years.
Maryland takes fourth place, with 33.7% of the population being served by PWS with health-based or acute health-based violations. The state has recorded 1,617,783 acute health-based violations and 451,556 health-based violations, which represent 72.7% of all PWS violations in the state.
Arizona ranks fifth, with 31.2% of the population served by PWS with any health-related violations from 2019-2023. The state reported 1,727,204 acute health-based violations and 561,075 health-based violations, making up a combined 36.2% of the state’s total violations.
States with the highest percentage of people served by PWS with health-based and acute health-based violations 2019-2023
| State | Average Population (2019-2023) | Number of people served by PWS with health-based violations | Population served by PWS with health-based violations 2019-2023 (%) |
| New York | 19,731,443 | 10,520,100 | 53.3 |
| New Jersey | 9,195,083 | 3,547,417 | 38.6 |
| Louisiana | 4,617,927 | 1,684,452 | 36.5 |
| Maryland | 6,147,730 | 2,068,979 | 33.7 |
| Arizona | 7,306,983 | 2,280,543 | 31.2 |
| West Virginia | 1,782,613 | 518,419 | 29.1 |
| Oklahoma | 3,997,387 | 994,562 | 24.9 |
| Massachusetts | 6,973,261 | 1,654,025 | 23.7 |
| Pennsylvania | 12,948,971 | 2,558,475 | 19.8 |
| Oregon | 4,238,397 | 803,152 | 18.9 |
West Virginia comes in sixth, with 29.1% of its population affected by health-based or acute health-based violations in PWS from 2019-2023. The state saw 57,422 acute health-based violations and 495,576 health-based violations. These make up 37.8% of all PWS violations in the state.
Oklahoma is next, with 24.9% of the population being served by PWS with health-based or acute health-based violations during the period. The state recorded 435,166 acute health-based violations and 806,526 health-based violations, which account for 31.1% of all PWS violations.
Massachusetts follows in eighth place, with 23.7% of its population served by PWS with any health-related violations from 2019-2023. The state reported 196,838 acute health-based violations and 1,457,187 health-based violations, making up 45.6% of all PWS violations.
Pennsylvania places ninth, with 19.8% of the population affected by PWS with health-based or acute health-based violations from 2019-2023. The state recorded 903,930 acute health-based violations and 1,821,238 health-based violations, which account for 25.6% of all PWS violations.
Oregon rounds out the top ten, with 18.9% of the population served by PWS with health-related violations from 2019-2023. The state saw 104,677 acute health-based violations and 718,049 health-based violations. These make up 29.2% of all PWS violations in Oregon.
On the other hand, the state with the safest drinking water is North Dakota, with just 0.5% of the population having been served by PWS with health-based or acute health-based violations from 2019-2023. Closely following are Nevada and Washington, at 1.5% and 2.0%, respectively.
Andrew J. Cobos, Attorney-at-Law and Chief Veteran Legal Counsel at PFAS Water Experts has commented,
“This research shows the difference in the quality of drinking water across different states, highlighting the states where people should be most concerned.
“New York’s population has the highest percentage by far. The New York State Department of Health says that 95% of the state’s population relies on public water systems for their drinking and household water supplies, compared to 87% in New Jersey, the state ranking second.
“Additionally, New York has one of the oldest water system infrastructures in the nation, with many of the system’s assets near or past their suggested useful lives, according to the New York State Comptroller. These factors could be part of the reason that the number of violations in New York is so high, suggesting that the state may require investment in its water infrastructure to help better protect public health.
“Drinking contaminated water can have both short and long-term health effects. Whether someone experiences health effects and how severe they are depends on things like the type and amount of contaminant, how much water they drink, how long they’re exposed, and their individual susceptibility.
“Knowing if you live in a higher-risk state allows you to act by requesting a water quality test or using filtration systems, for example. If you suspect contamination, reach out to your local water provider or the Environmental Protection Agency for more information on testing and safety measures.”
