The answer isn’t as cut and dry as you think.
Have you ever opened your fridge, glanced at your Brita pitcher, and absentmindedly wondered, Do you…actually do anything? Or are you the type to travel with a self-filtering water bottle and interrupt your valuable relaxation time to frantically Google “Is it safe to drink the tap water in [insert foreign country here]?” Whichever side you fall on, you probably got there by way of some confusion or anxiety about drinking tap water and the prospect of dangerous contaminants.
So, is tap water safe to drink? The answer depends on where you are and so many other factors that are beyond your control. If you’re tempted to test the waters, we’re unpacking some of those details and where in the U.S. is safest to rely on the faucet so you can hydrate harmlessly.
Is tap water safe to drink in the U.S.?
Let’s start by putting some concerns to rest: According to the CDC, “The United States has one of the safest and most reliable drinking water systems in the world.” So, that’s something to celebrate.
Thanks to the Safe Drinking Water Act, the U.S. government has strict rules that hold public water systems accountable for protecting you from over 90 contaminants (think particularly unappetizing substances like lead and arsenic). Regular testing and water system maintenance ensure safety.
This, in a perfect world, would be the final answer. But though 92 percent of the U.S. has access to legally safe water, individual public water systems violate EPA guidelines all the time.
Your water system can fail you in countless ways
If tap water in the U.S. has such strict safety measures, why do we hear so many horror stories of tragic failures that result in illness or even death? Think of this viral tweet that purportedly shows a disgusting pipe of tap water. We’ll admit that there’s no actual confirmation that this pipe supplies drinking water to anyone (a lot of commenters insist this is actually a drain). But we’re so used to disastrous, high-stakes tap water failures that the image immediately sent legions of people into a panic.
Proximity to toxic waste, industry, and other sources of pollution cause violations. In Philly, for instance, a recent chemical spill in the Delaware River immediately threatened local drinking water. Though the water department and the chemical facility have precautions in place to prevent contamination, one small mishap immediately threatened the quality of life of about 1.5 million people. And that’s a pretty stressful and potentially dangerous way to start the week.
Some states have extra protections in place that go above and beyond the EPA’s guidelines — for example, some require extra water disinfection or ban the chemicals that leak off nonstick cookware. But many states don’t provide these costly extra measures.
Also, many Americans are more likely to be exposed to contaminated water, thanks to a mishmash of prejudice, place, and wealth.
A 2018 study observed that more violations occur in rural areas because rural water systems have fewer resources and taxpayers have lower incomes. Still, affluent rural counties had better water than poor rural counties, and a Guardian investigation found that lower-income counties received twice as many violation points as rich counties.
On the other hand, large urban areas don’t always have enough cash and resources to prevent disaster: There’s compelling evidence that when big city populations decline, there are fewer taxpayers to fund crucial water maintenance or infrastructure improvements.
Plus, race is important, too: The Guardian found that Latinos tend to settle near industrial farms and are exposed to tap water polluted with fertilizer runoff. Black Americans are 75 percent more likely to live near facilities that produce hazardous waste. As of 2021, only one in 10 Native Americans have access to clean tap water.
The dangers of drinking contaminated water
While what’s running out of your faucet may generally be safe, there are so many ways that water systems have failed standards. And those violations are high stakes — according to the EPA, consuming unclean water can have a huge variety of health issues. Depending on the contaminant, you may experience “gastrointestinal illnesses, nervous system or reproductive effects, and chronic diseases such as cancer.” The CDC says that contamination can cause neurological disorders, too.
Luckily, to help us parse this complicated issue, Water Defense — an educational resource on water safety — has compiled a list of the states with the cleanest tap water.
Plus, they’ve listed the states that are the worst offenders — so be sure to double-check before quenching your thirst during that tri-state road trip.
Best Tap Water in the US
- Oregon
- Massachusetts
- South Dakota
- Minnesota
- New Hampshire
- Kansas
- Missouri
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Hawaii
Worst Tap Water in the US
- New Jersey
- Georgia
- Arizona
- Ohio
- Florida
- Texas
- Michigan
- California
- Pennsylvania
- Washington
