Drinking water quality, violations & lawsuits for every U.S. city

Source: Flint River / Lake Huron

Flint's water crisis began in 2014 after a switch in water source led to widespread lead contamination.

Source: Cape Fear River (surface water), treated by the Public Works Commission of Fayetteville (PWC)

Fayetteville draws its municipal drinking water from the Cape Fear River, downstream of the Chemours Fayetteville Works chemical plant in neighboring Bladen County. Since 2017, the plant has been identified as the source of GenX and other PFAS ('forever chemicals') contaminating the river and groundwater, affecting the drinking water supply for roughly 500,000 people in the region. A 2019 consent order with NC DEQ and Cape Fear River Watch required major emissions reductions, well testing, and alternate water for affected households, and a federal PFAS settlement involving Chemours was still being finalized as of mid-2026.

Source: Pequannock & Wanaque Reservoirs

Newark faced elevated lead levels in 2017–2019, prompting a major service-line replacement program.

Source: Floridan Aquifer (groundwater)

Apopka sits amid one of Florida's densest concentrations of greenhouses and nurseries. Decades of fertilizer and pesticide use have driven nitrate and historic organochlorine concerns in area groundwater.