Washington ranks 37th for tap water quality in new national study

While Washington is famous for its lush greenery and rain, a new study suggests the tap water isn’t quite at the top of the class.

According to a report by residential protection experts at ProGuard, Washington ranks 37th in the U.S. for clean tap water.

The study analyzed the latest data from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to track how often community water systems violated safety standards. Washington averaged 1,991 violations per 100,000 residents. While that might sound high, it is still far cleaner than states at the bottom of the list like Alaska, which recorded over 21,000 violations per 100,000 people.

Where the water comes from

Washington’s ranking is tied to its complex water system. Most of the drinking water comes from a mix of surface water from the Green, Cedar, South Fork Tolt Rivers, and underground aquifers.

Managing these different sources can be a challenge. Across the country, experts noted that runoff from farms and hidden leaks in old pipes are the biggest enemies of clean water.

Even a tiny drip in a home can waste 3,000 gallons of treated water a year, while larger hidden leaks under building foundations can waste tens of thousands of gallons before they are even found.

How WA compares to the rest of the U.S.

The Pacific Northwest didn’t see any states land in the top ten. Hawaii took the number one spot for the cleanest water in the nation, followed by California and Minnesota.

Idaho ranked 46th and Montana 49th, showing that mountain states often face several hurdles in maintaining consistent water quality throughout the year.

ProGuard experts pointed out the gap between the best and worst states shows there is plenty of room for improvement. They suggest that homeowners can help by staying on top of leak repairs, which prevents treated water from simply seeping back into the ground unused.

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