Before you folks in Phoenix start screaming, let us say that your water is safe to drink. You don't need to tap a cactus, because what's flowing from the faucet is A-okay. So how come the F? While your H2O is safe, the water in 99 other cities is cleaner. We examined the most recent data on levels of arsenic, lead, halo-acetic acids and total trihalomethanes (linked to cancer), and total coliform bacteria, plus the number of EPA water-system violations from 1995 to 2005. All the water supplies came in below the EPA's Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) for 2005, although some, like Denver's, are farther below the MCLs than others. As for water-system violations--given for exceeding an MCL or making a monitoring mistake--many cities (uh, Phoenix) racked up thousands. This doesn't mean today's water is tainted, only that there's a history of problems. Still, as glass-half-full types, we'd say that our first-world water supply is generally first rate.
100. Phoenix, AZ F
99. Indianapolis, IN F
98. Charlotte, NC F
97. Los Angeles, CA F
96. Charleston, WV D
95 Fort Wayne, IN D
94. Hartford, CT D
93. Greensboro, NC D
92. Billings, MT D
91. Raleigh, NC D
90. Yonkers, NY D
89. Manchester, NH D
88. Newark, NJ D
87. Columbus, OH D
86. Seattle, WA D
85. Columbia, SC D
84. Burlington, VT D
83. Bakersfield, CA D
82. Salt Lake City, UT D
81. Oklahoma City, OK D
80. Orlando, FL C
79 Sioux Falls, SD C
78. Cleveland, OH C
77. Las Vegas, NV C
76. Boise, ID C
75. Houston, TX C
74. Jacksonville, FL C
73. El Paso, TX C
72. Portland, OR C
71. Anchorage, AK C
70. Bangor, ME
69. Toledo, OH C
68. San Diego, CA C
67. Durham, NC C
66. Tampa, FL C
65. San Jose, CA C
64. Fort Worth, TX C
63. Tucson, AZ C
62. Tulsa, OK C
61. Grand Rapids, MI C
60. Jackson, MS C
59. Lubbock, TX C
58. Chicago, IL C
57. Cheyenne, WY C
56. Pittsburgh, PA C
55. Boston, MA C
54. Milwaukee, WI C
53. Sacramento, CA C
52. Providence, RI C
51. Madison, WI C
50. Austin, TX C
49 Wichita, KS C
48. Miami, FL C
47. Washington, DC C
46. Cincinnati, OH C
45. Minneapolis, MN C
44. Colorado Springs, CO C
43. Little Rock, AR C
42. Omaha, NE C
41. St. Louis, MO C
40. Albuquerque, NM C
39. San Antonio, TX B
38. Wilmington, DE B
37. New York, NY B
36. Philadelphia, PA B
35. Riverside, CA B
34. Spokane, WA B
33. Atlanta, GA B
32. Aurora, CO B
31. Dallas, TX B
30. Corpus Christi, TX B
29. Lexington, KY B
28. Arlington, TX B
27. Detroit, MI B
26. Buffalo, NY B
25. Richmond, VA B
24. Rochester, NY B
23. Fresno, CA B
22. Louisville, KY B
21 San Francisco, CA B
20. Des Moines, IA B
19. Jersey City, NJ B
18. Lincoln, NE B
17 St. Paul, MN B
16. Fargo, ND B
15 Anaheim, CA B
14. Modesto, CA B
13. Nashville, TN B
12. Birmingham, AL B
11. Fremont, CA A
10. Honolulu, HI A
9. Montgomery, AL A
8. St. Petersburg, FL A
7 Oakland, CA A
6. Baltimore, MD A
5. Memphis, TN A
4 Norfolk, VA A
3. Kansas City, MO A
2. Baton Rouge, LA A
1. Denver, CO A
You need a water filter but figure you're covered by the one in your refrigerator's water dispenser. You figure wrong. Most fridge filters remove only offending flavors, with those they miss masked by the ice-cold temp. "The colder temperature numbs your sense of taste," says Tom Boving, Ph.D., a professor of hydrology at the University of Rhode Island.
Last year, the Better Business Bureau took nearly 1,200 consumer complaints about water-testing companies. The most common scenario: A door-to-door salesperson performs a free water test, claims you're drinking sewage, and then sells you thousands of dollars in filtration equipment. Of course, in reality, your water may be just fine. "In most cases, you're pretty much guaranteed it's a scam," says Steve Cox, a spokesman for the Council of Better Business Bureaus. To double-check a dire warning, contact your local water company. (Go to drinktap.org/consumer dnn/ and click on "Find it here!" to locate your provider.)
February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 August 2007 October 2007 July 2008