Newsweek, January 2026
A recent study has revealed the states that have the highest number of drinking water violations and unlawful contaminant levels served across numerous facilities. The study, carried out by the filtered showerhead company Afina, found that West Virginia had both the highest number of violations and unlawful contaminant levels per 100 residents served in its drinking water facilities, meaning it had the lowest drinking water cleanliness ranking out of all the states.
Why It Matters
The quality of U.S. drinking water has frequently come into the spotlight—with studies and research highlighting the vast number of contaminants in water served to Americans nationwide. Major studies have recently uncovered the serious impact of even low levels of arsenic in drinking water—a contaminant present at unlawful levels in various states—while others have highlighted the widespread contamination of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS chemicals, in drinking water systems. As the current U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been looking to roll back certain drinking water standards, concern is building over the quality of American drinking water, although some critics have questioned the methodology of Afina’s study.
