For Journalists & Researchers
WaterViolations.org makes EPA drinking water violation data accessible and searchable. Below are resources for journalists, researchers, and advocates working on water quality stories.
Key National Statistics
- 142,589 active public water systems in the United States
- 3,228,383 total violations on record
- 314,259 health-based violations (contaminant levels exceeding EPA limits)
- 5,922 water systems with currently unresolved health-based violations
- Systems serve an estimated 346,425,808 people
Most Cited Health-Based Contaminants
| Contaminant | Health-Based Violations |
|---|---|
| Unknown | 314,259 |
County Report Cards
WaterViolations.org now publishes county-level Drinking Water Violation Exposure Scores for local coverage. Scores combine health-based violation rates and the share of active systems with unresolved health-based violations.
See weakest county scores · Methodology · Download county CSV
| Score | Grade | County | State | Systems | Population | Health Violations | Per 100K | Active Health Systems |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | F | Sandoval County | New Mexico | 62 | 135,220 | 897 | 663.4 | 18 |
| 0 | F | Rio Arriba County | New Mexico | 61 | 29,092 | 894 | 3073.0 | 19 |
| 0 | F | Santa Fe County | New Mexico | 82 | 146,462 | 617 | 421.3 | 23 |
| 0 | F | Taos County | New Mexico | 91 | 24,833 | 580 | 2335.6 | 19 |
| 0 | F | San Miguel County | New Mexico | 44 | 23,981 | 425 | 1772.2 | 17 |
Story Angles
- Your state's grade: State Report Cards grade every state A-F on water safety
- County report cards: Rank county exposure scores and use the CSV export to find local reporting targets
- Worst offenders: Water systems with the most violations nationally and systems with active health violations
- Local angle: Search any address or ZIP code on the homepage to find your community's water system
- Contaminant deep-dives: Contaminant guides explain health risks and EPA limits for lead, arsenic, nitrate, and more
Resources for Your Coverage
Embeddable Widget — Add a live water quality status card to your article. Free, no API key needed.
JSON API — Programmatic access to violation data. No API key required.
CSV Downloads — Bulk data exports by state for analysis.
County Report-Card CSV — Scores, letter bands, rates, and county URLs for spreadsheet analysis.
Cite This Data
WaterViolations.org. Data from U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS). https://waterviolations.org
Data is updated quarterly from the EPA. All data is in the public domain.