These US Cities Has the Most Contaminated Water in 2024

Many countries around the world have limited access to clean water. However, even in the United States, there are concerns about water quality. Water supplies across the country have been affected by contamination from chemical toxins, heavy metals, and microbial pathogens.

Recently, there have been news reports about the problem in Flint, Michigan, and Jackson, Mississippi. Flint’s water was considered very unsafe to drink from April 2014 to June 2016. Last summer, there was a lot of flooding in Jackson. Because of this, a warning was issued saying that the drinking water there was not safe. Residents were advised to boil the water before using it.

In March 2022, the EPA did something new and important. They proposed a plan to create the first-ever national drinking water standard. This standard aims to deal with the dangerous existence of six man-made chemicals that pose a big risk to human health.

In order to create a list of the 30 American cities with the most polluted water, we analyzed data from WaterFilterGuru, a website that tests and provides information on water filtration products. The website used information from the Environmental Working Group, which is an activist organization, to study the quality of water in 70 cities in the United States. They created an index that considered three factors: the number of contaminants that exceeded the health guidelines set by the Environmental Working Group, the total number of contaminants, and the violations issued each quarter from April 2019 to March 2021. Each factor was given a weight of 20 in the index.

American Cities With the Most Contaminated Water

Newark, New Jersey

Total score: 57.17
Health guideline violations score (0-20): 6.88 – 31st worst out of 70 cities
Most prevalent contaminant compared to other cities: Total haloacetic acids and Chloroform – Worst out of 70 cities

Las Vegas, Nevada

Total score: 55.33
Health guideline violations score (0-20): 9.38 – 6th worst out of 70 cities
Most prevalent contaminant compared to other cities: Bromodichloromethane – 2nd worst out of 70 cities

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Total score: 53.35
Health guideline violations score (0-20): 7.50 – 23rd worst out of 70 cities
Most prevalent contaminant compared to other cities: Bromodichloromethane – 3rd worst out of 70 cities

Wilmington, Delaware

Total score: 52.60
Health guideline violations score (0-20): 20.00 – Worst out of 70 cities
Most prevalent contaminant compared to other cities: Bromodichloromethane and total THMs – Worst out of 70 cities

Also read: These are 7 Coldest Cities in America, 2024 Statewise Study

Bridgeport, Connecticut

Total score: 43.59
Health guideline violations score (0-20): 7.50 – 23rd worst out of 70 cities
Most prevalent contaminant compared to other cities: Total haloacetic acids – 5th worst out of 70 cities

Jersey City, New Jersey

Total score: 41.90
Health guideline violations score (0-20): 7.50 – 23rd worst out of 70 cities
Most prevalent contaminant compared to other cities: Bromodichloromethane – 8th worst out of 70 cities

Des Moines, Iowa

Total score: 41.58
Health guideline violations score (0-20): 9.38 – 6th worst out of 70 cities
Most prevalent contaminant compared to other cities: Bromodichloromethane – 4th worst out of 70 cities