These U.S. states have the best and worst tap water: Washington ranked No. 1 while Arizona came in dead last

Water scarcity remains a concern for people around the world. In fact, a 2022 Gallup poll revealed that 57% of Americans worry more about safe drinking water than global warming, air pollution, or the extinction of animal species.

Americans are also using more water than ever before, according to J.D. Power. The combined water and sewer bill for a typical household in the U.S. has increased 54.8% since 2012. The data also found that 41% of customers say they do not feel the water provided by their local utility is safe to drink.

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In August, J.D. Power ranked the states with the best and worst tap water based on its U.S. Water Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study. It measures satisfaction among residential customers from 92 water utilities, or companies, around the U.S. that deliver water to populations of at least 400,000.

Customers were asked to rate the quality of water in terms of taste, color, odor, hardness, and other factors on a scale of one to 10, with one being unacceptable and 10 being outstanding. The states were ranked based on responses from 32,833 residential water utility customers from June 2023 through March 2024.

Ramah Vaughn, director of utilities intelligence at J.D. Power, tells CNBC Make It that this year’s special report is different from last year’s version. Last year, the special report focused on asking customers about the reliability and quality of their water, and this year, it was solely focused on the quality.

1. Washington
2. Kansas
3. Hawaii
4. Kentucky
5. Massachusetts
6. New York
7. Connecticut
8. Georgia
9. Louisiana
10. Virginia

Washington ranked as the state with the best tap water, with 84.5% of customers giving their water positive marks, according to J.D. Power.

“Washington has been able to avoid problems that other states have been facing. In Washington, they’ve been able to provide a premium product without complaints about taste and smell. They are meeting customers’ expectations of what clean fresh water should look like,” Vaughn says. “When we look at what customers in Washington are rating and saying, they’re extremely pleased with the quality of the product.”

The state established a program in 2021 to target the per-and-polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS or “forever chemicals,” found in its drinking water. In 2023, the Washington State Department of Health also launched a dashboard showing people if tap water had been contaminated with “forever chemicals.”

After J.D. Power’s study was conducted, Washington announced it was also adopting a drinking water standard higher than the EPA’s regulation on PFAS. This is in an effort to continue limiting people’s exposure to “forever chemicals.”

1. Arizona
2. New Mexico
3. Alabama
4. Oklahoma
5. Indiana
6. Nevada
7. Maryland
8. Wisconsin
9. Texas
10. California

Arizona has the worst tap water in America, according to the report. The state received a 62.6% favorability score.

“The number one complaint was that the water was too hard. Customers said the water is causing damage to pipes, leaving residue on the walls in the shower, and they complained about the smell and color of the water,” Vaughn says. “Arizona customers indicated that the hardness of the water is unacceptable.”

Water hardness is determined by the amount of dissolved calcium and magnesium. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the harder the water, the higher the amount of these dissolved minerals.

Arizona is just one of several states in the country’s South that have some of the worst tap water. Vaughn says it’s a sign that a lot of work needs to be done in these states.

“The majority of the states that are underperforming are near the southern part of the United States. Now, who knows if that has anything to do with legislation or anything else, but it’s something to take note of,” he added. Georgia and Louisiana are exceptions, having both ranked No. 8 and No. 9, respectively, on this year’s best list.

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