National trends in drinking water quality violations

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Public Health
• Policy Analysis

Background:

• Aging infrastructure, impaired water sources, and financial constraints challenge safe U.S. water supplies.
• The Flint water crisis underscored the need for assessing national drinking water quality trends.
• Millions rely on community water systems that violate health standards, necessitating urgent action.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze spatial and temporal patterns of health-related Safe Drinking Water Act violations nationwide.
• To identify community and water system vulnerability factors associated with these violations.
• To inform strategies for improving national drinking water quality.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a panel dataset of 17,900 community water systems from 1982-2015.
• Employed probit regression to identify vulnerability factors.
• Examined spatial and temporal trends in drinking water quality violations.

Main Results:

• Detected increasing time trends and violation "hot spots" in several states, notably the Southwest.
• Found repeat violations are common in identified hot spots, indicating persistent issues.
• Violation incidence is significantly higher in rural areas compared to urban areas.

Conclusions:

• Rural communities and specific regions face disproportionately higher risks of drinking water violations.
• Private ownership and purchased water sources correlate with better compliance, suggesting potential models for improvement.
• Findings pinpoint underperforming systems and regions requiring targeted assistance for consistent compliance and enhanced water safety.