New York ranks first, with 53.3% of its population supplied by public water systems with sanitary violations between 2019 and 2023.
- New Jersey and Louisiana rank second and third, with 38.6% and 36.5% of their populations supplied with poor quality public water.
- North Dakota has the safest drinking water, with only 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 occupying the number one position.
Experts in water with PFAS We analyzed data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on water quality violations in public water systems (PWS) between 2019 and 2023. A PWS is any system that provides water for human consumption, from smaller systems such as those in schools or offices, to larger systems like the Croton water system in New York, which covers 375 square miles of the state. There are 148,000 PWS in the United States.
The analysis focused on “health-based” (contaminants that pose long-term risks, such as lead) and “acute health-based” (contaminants that pose an immediate health hazard, such as lead) water quality violations. such as E. coli).
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 between 2019 and 2023. This revealed the states with the highest percentage of people affected by contaminated water.
New York occupies the number one position, with 53.3% of the population served by PWS with health-related violations or with serious health problems between 2019 and 2023. In total, the state has reported 365,865 10,182,249 violations related to serious health problems and 82.2 XNUMX XNUMX health-related violations. These make up XNUMX% of all PWS violations in the state.
New Jersey occupies second place, with 38.6% of the population served by PWS for some health-related violation. The state recorded 1,279,034 serious health-related violations and 2,807,128 health-related violations during the five-year period, which accounted for a combined 44.8% of all PWS violations in the state.
Louisiana It follows in third place, with 36.5% of its affected population between 2019 and 2023. The state reported 319,056 serious health-related violations and 1,598,546 health-related violations. These accounted for 62% of all PWS violations over the five years.
Maryland occupies fourth place, with 33.7% of the population served by PWS with health violations or serious health violations. The state has recorded 1,617,783 serious health violations and 451,556 health violations, representing 72.7% of all PWS violations in the state.
Arizona occupies fifth place, with 31.2% of the population served by PWS with any health-related violation between 2019 and 2023. The state reported 1,727,204 serious health-related violations and 561,075 health-related violations, representing a combined 36.2% of the state’s total violations.
States with the highest percentage of people served by PWS with acute health and health violations 2019-2023
| Province | Average population (2019-2023) | Number of people served by PWS with health violations | Population served by PWS with health 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 |
| Virginia Occidental | 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 |
Virginia Occidental occupies sixth place, with 29.1% of its population affected by health violations or serious health violations in PWS between 2019 and 2023. The state recorded 57,422 serious health violations and 495,576 health violations. These represent 37.8% of all PWS violations in the state.
Oklahoma is the following, with 24.9% of the population served by PWS with health violations or serious health violations during the period. The state recorded 435,166 serious health violations and 806,526 health violations, representing 31.1% of all PWS violations.
Massachusetts He remains in eighth place, with 23.7% of its population served by PWS with any health-related violation between 2019 and 2023. The state reported 196,838 serious health-related violations and 1,457,187 health-related violations, representing 45.6% of all PWS violations.
Pennsylvania occupies ninth place, with 19.8% of the PWS-affected population with health violations or acute health violations from 2019 to 2023. The state recorded 903,930 acute health violations and 1,821,238 health violations, representing 25.6% of all PWS violations.
Oregon complete the top ten with 18.9% of the population served by PWS with health-related violations between 2019 and 2023. The state recorded 104,677 serious health-related violations and 718,049 health-related 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 Dakotawith just 0.5% of the population served by PWS with health violations or serious health violations between 2019 and 2023. Below are shown Nevada y Washingtona 1.5% y 2.0%respectively.
Andrew J. Cobos, attorney and chief legal counsel for veterans at Experts in water with PFAS has commented,
“This research shows the difference in drinking water quality in 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 states that 95% of the state’s population depends on public water systems for their drinking and household water supplies, compared to 87% in New Jersey, the state that takes second place.
“In addition, New York has some of the oldest water system infrastructure in the country, and many of the system’s assets are close to or past their suggested useful life, according to the New York State Comptroller. These factors could be part of the reason why the number of violations in New York is so high, suggesting that the state may need investments in its water infrastructure to help better protect public health.
“Drinking contaminated water can have short- and long-term health effects. Whether a person suffers health effects and their severity depends on factors such as the type and amount of contaminant, the amount of water they drink, the length of exposure, and their individual susceptibility.
“Knowing if you live in a higher-risk state allows you to take action by requesting a water quality test or using filtration systems, for example. If you suspect contamination, contact your local water supplier or the Environmental Protection Agency for more information about testing and safety measures.”