Is Your Drinking Water Safe?

EPA violation data for 17,254 cities across 51 states

Every public water system in the US is required to meet EPA safety standards. When they don't, violations are recorded. We make that data searchable and transparent.

Clean Water Index tracks 1,810,888 EPA Safe Drinking Water Act violations across 17,254 cities in all 50 states and Washington D.C. Search by state or city to see detailed violation records, health-based alerts, and contaminant information for your local water systems.

Browse by State
51
States + DC
17,254
Cities Tracked
1,810,888
EPA Violations
319M
People Served

How to Use This Site

1

Find Your City

Browse by state or search for your city to see its drinking water violation record.

2

Understand the Data

Review violation counts, health-based alerts, and specific contaminants found in your water system.

3

Take Action

Use our guides to learn about filtration options, water testing, and protecting your family.

States with Most Drinking Water Violations

States ranked by total number of EPA Safe Drinking Water Act violations on record.

# State Violations Health-Based Water Systems Cities
1 Texas 263,180 39,140 4,713 1238
2 Pennsylvania 199,265 6,042 1,855 733
3 Oklahoma 128,472 29,472 889 488
4 New York 93,834 5,682 2,245 795
5 West Virginia 81,622 2,703 412 204
6 Alaska 73,527 5,020 405 157
7 Utah 71,655 0 559 2
8 Ohio 61,604 0 1,094 0
9 Arizona 60,414 4,414 751 159
10 Washington 54,459 2,509 2,311 336
11 North Carolina 54,399 3,287 1,979 448
12 Colorado 42,596 5,256 1,048 313
13 California 39,276 18,881 2,819 818
14 New Mexico 37,115 7,761 555 220
15 Florida 36,335 3,132 1,593 451

Browse by State

California 818 cities • 39,276 violations Texas 1238 cities • 263,180 violations Florida 451 cities • 36,335 violations New York 795 cities • 93,834 violations Illinois 1060 cities • 30,544 violations Pennsylvania 733 cities • 199,265 violations Georgia 494 cities • 32,159 violations Ohio 0 cities • 61,604 violations Massachusetts 330 cities • 10,561 violations North Carolina 448 cities • 54,399 violations Washington 336 cities • 54,459 violations New Jersey 298 cities • 19,332 violations Tennessee 262 cities • 20,607 violations Michigan 587 cities • 15,820 violations Virginia 286 cities • 15,298 violations Colorado 313 cities • 42,596 violations Arizona 159 cities • 60,414 violations Alabama 358 cities • 13,972 violations Missouri 666 cities • 25,377 violations Maryland 146 cities • 5,321 violations Indiana 423 cities • 18,261 violations Louisiana 332 cities • 32,039 violations Minnesota 677 cities • 3,784 violations South Carolina 204 cities • 13,045 violations Kentucky 248 cities • 9,427 violations Wisconsin 566 cities • 18,533 violations Utah 2 cities • 71,655 violations Oklahoma 488 cities • 128,472 violations Mississippi 360 cities • 25,296 violations Nevada 59 cities • 8,167 violations Arkansas 398 cities • 17,031 violations Iowa 593 cities • 9,389 violations Kansas 499 cities • 19,480 violations Connecticut 114 cities • 28,800 violations New Mexico 220 cities • 37,115 violations Nebraska 406 cities • 5,134 violations Idaho 196 cities • 26,078 violations West Virginia 204 cities • 81,622 violations Hawaii 32 cities • 182 violations Delaware 42 cities • 1,242 violations South Dakota 260 cities • 19,565 violations New Hampshire 168 cities • 6,968 violations Montana 193 cities • 20,202 violations North Dakota 190 cities • 8,431 violations Alaska 157 cities • 73,527 violations Maine 162 cities • 6,830 violations District of Columbia 1 cities • 115 violations Wyoming 108 cities • 13,783 violations Vermont 174 cities • 12,362 violations Oregon 0 cities • 0 violations Rhode Island 0 cities • 0 violations

Water Quality Guides

Expert resources to help you understand and improve your drinking water.

Common Contaminants in US Drinking Water and Their Health Effects

A comprehensive guide to the most frequently found contaminants in American drinking water, their health risks, sources, and EPA safety limits.

Read guide → How to Read Your Water Quality Report

Learn how to find, read, and understand your annual Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) — the water quality report your utility is required to send you every year.

Read guide → How to Filter Your Tap Water: A Complete Guide

Compare water filter types, understand NSF certifications, and choose the right filtration system based on the contaminants in your local water supply.

Read guide → Protecting Your Family from Water Contamination

Practical steps to ensure your family's drinking water is safe, from quick daily habits to comprehensive home treatment solutions.

Read guide →

View all guides →

About This Data

Clean Water Index uses data from the EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), the federal database that tracks compliance of public water systems with drinking water standards. When a water system exceeds the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for a regulated substance, or fails to properly test and report, a violation is recorded.

Not all violations are equal. Health-based violations (MCL and Treatment Technique violations) mean a contaminant was found above safe levels. Monitoring violations mean the system failed to test when required, which may indicate a problem or may simply be a reporting failure.

This data is updated quarterly. For the most current information about your specific water system, contact your local water utility or check the EPA ECHO database directly.

Data Sources

All data from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) via the Envirofacts API. Community water systems serving 100+ people are included.

Verify at epa.gov