Drinking Water Violations in United States

United States

Safe drinking water is important to overall health and may aid in the prevention of certain birth defects, infectious diseases and exposure to harmful chemicals. More than 148,000 public water systems currently provide drinking water to Americans. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets a legal limit on the permitted levels of more than 90 contaminants in drinking water. Maximum contaminant levels, maximum residual disinfectant levels and treatment technique rules are all health-based drinking water standards that seek to protect human health. 

Monitoring and enforcing health-based violations are critical to helping states and the EPA protect public health through safe drinking water. An estimated 3% to 10% of community water systems receive a health-based violation in any given year. Water contaminants such as arsenic, lead and nitrates have been strongly linked to gastrointestinal illnesses, cancer and neurodevelopmental damage in children.

The agriculture industry is one of the leading sources of drinking water contamination in America. While pesticides and fertilizers are used in many places, toxic runoff from these pollutants are found at higher readings in rural communities. 

In addition to chemical pollutants, based on 2015-2020 data, waterborne pathogens cause an estimated 7.15 million illnesses and more than 6,600 deaths in the U.S. every year, resulting in $3.33 billion in direct health care costs.

Children, older adults, people of color, pregnant women and people with compromised immune systems are more vulnerable to the damaging health effects of contaminated water. Drinking water violations are higher in:

• Rural areas compared with urban areas. 
• Low-income communities compared with higher-income communities. 
• Areas with previous violations, known as hot spots, that may struggle with recurring issues. 
• Areas with a higher percentage of racial/ethnic minority populations.

County Health Rankings and Roadmaps lists multiple programs and interventions that reduce water pollution. The EPA provides detailed information on drinking water violations and works with all states to ensure compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act. Adopting a water safety plan with one’s community offers multiple benefits and has been shown to decrease contamination and improve regulation compliance.

The Environmental Working Group has a tool for checking contaminants in drinking water violations based on ZIP code and recommends the following:

• Using an appropriate home water filter for different types of contaminants.
• Contacting state representatives to take action after requesting and reviewing the water supplier’s annual Consumer Confidence Report, which lists levels of contaminants in the drinking water.

Healthy People 2030 has an objective to increase the proportion of people whose drinking water supply meets Safe Drinking Water Act regulations. Further, the EPA has implemented an initiative to reduce the number of community water systems that do not comply with health-based standards.

Allaire, Maura, Haowei Wu, and Upmanu Lall. “National Trends in Drinking Water Quality Violations.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 115, no. 9 (February 27, 2018): 2078–83. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1719805115.

Gunnarsdottir, Maria J., Sigurdur M. Gardarsson, Mark Elliott, Gudrun Sigmundsdottir, and Jamie Bartram. “Benefits of Water Safety Plans: Microbiology, Compliance, and Public Health.” Environmental Science & Technology 46, no. 14 (July 17, 2012): 7782–89. https://doi.org/10.1021/es300372h.

Kunz, Jasen M., Hannah Lawinger, Shanna Miko, Megan Gerdes, Muhammad Thuneibat, Elizabeth Hannapel, and Virginia A. Roberts. “Surveillance of Waterborne Disease Outbreaks Associated with Drinking Water — United States, 2015–2020.” MMWR. Surveillance Summaries 73, no. 1 (March 14, 2024): 1–23. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.ss7301a1.

Mac Kenzie, William R., Neil J. Hoxie, Mary E. Proctor, M. Stephen Gradus, Kathleen A. Blair, Dan E. Peterson, James J. Kazmierczak, et al. “A Massive Outbreak in Milwaukee of Cryptosporidium Infection Transmitted through the Public Water Supply.” New England Journal of Medicine 331, no. 3 (July 21, 1994): 161–67. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJM199407213310304.

McDonald, Yolanda J., and Nicole E. Jones. “Drinking Water Violations and Environmental Justice in the United States, 2011–2015.” American Journal of Public Health 108, no. 10 (August 23, 2018): 1401–7. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2018.304621.

Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “EPA’s Initiative to Reduce Noncompliance with Drinking Water Standards at Federally Owned and Operated Water Systems.” Compliance Advisory. Environmental Protection Agency, August 2021. https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2021-08/complianceadvisory-reducingnoncompliancewithdrinkingwaterstandards.pdf.