"Water is the driving force of all nature," said Leonardo Da Vinci. Unfortunately, it can also taste like algae or be contaminated with "forever chemicals," or be unreliable or scarse. "The quality of drinking water has become a hot topic. Years after water crises in various U.S. cities, federal regulators are now taking unprecedented action in cracking down on PFAS chemicals to ensure safer, higher quality water for residents," reports J.D. Power, which did a new survey about the best and worst tap water. They analyzed customers' opinions about: "quality and reliability; price; conservation; billing and payment; communications; and customer service." Read on to see them ranked, from the 10th worst to the absolute #1 worst state for tap water.
As recently as this past May 2023, "the state detected harmful PFAS in the treated drinking water at more than two dozen small water utilities in Indiana. Among other things, exposure to the human-made chemicals has been linked to kidney cancer, problems with the immune system and developmental issues in children. This is the second round of testing the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) has done for PFAS in public water utilities," according to WFYI Indianapolis.
"The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality is taking it a step further, announcing a $3 million plan to proactively test an additional 1,200 Arizona water systems," reports AZ Family. "The goal is for us to get a picture of where there are areas of concern of PFAS in our state," said Trevor Baggiore, Water Quality Division Director. "The large water systems in Tucson, Phoenix, Tempe and Scottsdale are all required to sample and renew EPA programs. That leaves over 1,200 systems in Arizona without any requirements, and we want to know what the picture looks like in Arizona so we can help these water systems address the contamination."
"Jackson's already-frail water system suffered a dayslong outage over the summer, in a crisis that sparked national outrage and called attention to the decades of water struggles in the city of 150,000 residents, nearly 83% of them Black. Thanks to donations and the national attention, grassroots organizers were able to distribute hundreds of cases of bottled water to panicked residents after the O.B. Curtis Water Plant failed in August," reports NBC News. "Now, some five months later, organizers say there aren't many resources to go around to residents still in need."
After a toxic spill during a train derailment, residents near East Palestine had concerns about their drinking water. "I recognize that no matter how much data we collect or provide, it will not be enough to completely reassure everybody," the EPA chief said. "It may not be enough to restore the sense of safety and security that this community once had. But we're going to work together, day by day, for as long as it takes to make sure that this community feels at home once again."
In one instance, "Unhappy customers of the Aqua PA water system received a variety of explanations from company representatives about drinking water problems they have faced over the past several months," reports the Mercury. "The primary problem seems to be sediment in the water, discoloring water and quickly clogging home-wide filtration systems designed to keep the sediment out of the taps."
"Black and Hispanic people and those living in low-income Texas communities are highly concerned about the quality of their drinking water, a new survey shows," reports the Texas Tribune. "Commissioned by the nonprofit organization Texas Water Trade, the survey included responses from 650 households in both rural border communities and urban areas across Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth. Among those surveyed, 61% responded that they do not think their water is safe to drink."
"Dangerous levels of uranium are contaminating Santa Cruz's drinking water, despite a new water system paid for with $1.6 in taxpayer funds, the Rio Grande SUN has learned," reports the SUN. "Santa Cruz's drinking water contained between 35 and 38 micrograms per liter of uranium throughout 2020, 2021 and 2022, significantly higher than the legal limit of 30 mpl set by the federal government, according to data from the New Mexico Environment Department. The most recent sampling, from July 2022, revealed a uranium level of 36 mpl in residents' drinking water — a level experts say poses a serious health risk."
"There are at least nine sites in Oklahoma where ground or water contamination from forever chemicals has been confirmed, mostly at military installations, airports and at least one municipality's drinking water, according to data compiled by the Environmental Working Group. The advocacy group also lists numerous other suspected sites for PFAS pollution in the state," reports the Frontier.
"If you have noticed a change in the taste or smell of your tap water in Maryland lately, you're not alone. Officials say there is no reason for concern," reports WUSA 9. "Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) said customers served by their Potomac Water Filtration Plant may notice the change because algal activity in the Potomac River. Officials say the change is temporary and not harmful."
"While most of the lower-ranked states were close to the meaty part of the satisfaction curve, there is a precipitous drop toward the bottom of the list. Alabama, which had an quality and reliability score of 701, was the lowest-ranking state in the analysis, struggling in virtually every category evaluated," said J.D. Power. Keep reading to see which states had the best tap water.
J.D. Power said these states had the best tap water:
10. Hawaii
9. Virginia
8. Minnesota
7. Connecticut
6. Massachusetts
5. Kansas
4. Oregon
3. New York
2. Washington
1. And the state with the #1 best tap water is….Kentucky! "Kentucky has the best tap water in the United States. In Louisville, Kentucky, the tap water is so good the city was able to trademark the name Pure Tap, according to the government's website," says J.D. Power. "There are 435 public water systems in Kentucky. According to the state's website, approximately 95% of Kentuckians have access to public drinking water."
