Access to clean and pure water is a privilege enjoyed by not many people in the world in this highly industrialized and polluted 21st century. But would anyone believe that even the people living in the most advanced country on earth have faced the same threat? The inaccessibility to clean drinking water? You better believe it, as each and every year, regardless of the monitoring and regulating done by the authorities, clean water sources in the United States keep getting affected by the high rate of industrialization taking place.
Top 10 States With The Best Tap Water In The USA
- Rhode Island
- South Dakota
- Minnesota
- New Hampshire
- California
- Connecticut
- Vermont
- Kansas
- Missouri
- Wisconsin
According to US News, these are the top ten states with the cleanest natural environments or at least the states that are progressively tackling environmental issues to keep their natural environment, air, water and land clean and as pure as possible.
There is another commonality between all of these states. If you look more closely at the statistics, you will find that the factors such as,
- Education
- Infrastructure
- Health Care
- Fiscal stability or the steadiness in the financial system
- Low Crime rate
- Overall economic progression
Are relatively higher in these states than the other US States, or rather much higher than many other states. These factors being positive and being progressive (Such as having an educated population in the state) have an indirect positive impact upon the natural cleanliness and less pollution in these states.
Top 10 Places/Cities With The Worst Tap Water In The USA
- New Mexico
- Flint, Michigan
- Jacksonville, Florida
- Las Vegas, Nevada
- Reno, Nevada
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Midland, Texas
- Houston, Texas
- Omaha, Nebraska
- Brady, Texas
These states have the dirtiest tap water according to certain sources. Especially, Flint in Michigan suffers from lead poisoning and certain areas like Jacksonville in Florida have fallen victim to excessive usage of pesticide and hazardous fertilizers.
Meanwhile, New Mexico’s Navajo Region’s natural water sources were contaminated during the activities of the mining companies in the 17th and 18th centuries.
What are the Clean Water Act & Safe Drinking Water Act?
Clean Water Act and another associated law related to Clean Water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act are the Water Enforcement Acts that were passed for the protection of natural water sources and to ensure that all US citizens have access to healthy and clean water.
EPA or the Environment Protection Agency of the USA enforce both of these acts and have been vested through these acts with various powers and responsibilities to protect natural water.
Following is a brief about these two acts you should know about.
1. Clean Water Act covers the following areas,
- Wastewater Management
- Pretreatment
- Stormwater Pollution
- Animal Waste from Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs)
- Spills – Oil and Hazardous Substances
- Wetlands – Discharges of Dredge and Fill Material
2. Safe Drinking Water Act covers the following areas,
- Drinking-water
- Public Water Systems
- Underground Injection Control
In addition to these, the two acts vested EPA with the power to monitor actions of individuals and institutions that have an effect upon the natural environment and water sources.
The acts also provide a framework for actions to be taken against those who breach the laws and provide the remedies available in such scenarios as well!
Question & Answer
The state of Rhode Island has the cleanest natural environment and tap water in the United States. The population of nearly 1 million people is the luckiest in the states.
Louisiana has the dirtiest natural environment and tap water in the USA. In addition, the state ranks low in education, infrastructure, economy, and health care. It could be one of the main reasons for the neglect of the natural environment.
A city named after the golden city of a legend in ancient Latin America, City of Eldorado Springs in the state of Colorado has the best and the cleanest tap water in the USA.
There is no “single dirtiest tap water city” in the USA, but Arizona and California generally have a high pollution level and some sources state that the city of Fresno in California has the dirtiest tap water in the USA.
It is safe to drink water in the USA, thanks to the regulations imposed by the US Environmental Protection Agency, the law enacted is the Safe Drinking Water Act.
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