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Idaho Value:
Average number of health-based drinking water violations per community water system in a state
Idaho Rank:
Average number of health-based drinking water violations per community water system in a state
0.0 - 1.5
1.6 - 1.8
1.9 - 2.0
2.1 - 2.4
2.5 - 5.5
No Data
US Value: 2.5
Top State(s): Hawaii: 0.0
Bottom State(s): Rhode Island: 5.5
Definition: Average number of health-based drinking water violations per community water system in a state
Data Source and Years(s): U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, Safe Drinking Water Information System via Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO), 2024
Suggested Citation: America's Health Rankings analysis of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, Safe Drinking Water Information System via Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO), United Health Foundation, AmericasHealthRankings.org, accessed 2026.
Safe drinking water is essential to overall health. It prevents exposure to harmful chemicals and may help prevent certain birth defects and infectious diseases. More than 148,000 public water systems currently provide drinking water to Americans. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets legal limits on the permitted levels of more than 90 contaminants in drinking water. Maximum contaminant levels, maximum residual disinfectant levels and treatment technique rules are all health-based drinking water standards that protect human health.
Monitoring and enforcing health-based violations are critical to helping states and the EPA protect public health through safe drinking water. In 2023, an estimated 4% of public water systems received a health-based violation. Water contaminants such as arsenic, lead and nitrates have been strongly linked to gastrointestinal illnesses, cancer and neurodevelopmental damage in children.
The agriculture industry is one of the leading sources of drinking water contamination in America. Toxic runoff from pesticides and fertilizers are found at higher readings in rural communities.
In addition to chemical pollutants, based on 2015-2020 data, waterborne pathogens cause an estimated 7.15 million illnesses and more than 6,600 deaths in the U.S. every year, resulting in $3.33 billion in direct health care costs.
Children, older adults, people of color, pregnant women and people with compromised immune systems are more vulnerable to the damaging health effects of contaminated water. Drinking water violations are higher in:
The EPA provides detailed information on drinking water violations and works with all states to ensure compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act. Adopting a community water safety plan offers multiple benefits and has been shown to decrease contamination and improve regulatory compliance.
The Environmental Working Group has a tool for checking contaminants in drinking water violations based on ZIP code and recommends the following:
Healthy People 2030 has an objective to increase the proportion of people whose drinking water supply meets Safe Drinking Water Act regulations. Further, the EPA has implemented an initiative to reduce the number of community water systems that do not comply with health-based standards.
Allaire, Maura, Haowei Wu, and Upmanu Lall. “National Trends in Drinking Water Quality Violations.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 115, no. 9 (February 27, 2018): 2078–83. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1719805115.
Gunnarsdottir, Maria J., Sigurdur M. Gardarsson, Mark Elliott, Gudrun Sigmundsdottir, and Jamie Bartram. “Benefits of Water Safety Plans: Microbiology, Compliance, and Public Health.” Environmental Science & Technology 46, no. 14 (July 17, 2012): 7782–89. https://doi.org/10.1021/es300372h.
Kunz, Jasen M., Hannah Lawinger, Shanna Miko, Megan Gerdes, Muhammad Thuneibat, Elizabeth Hannapel, and Virginia A. Roberts. “Surveillance of Waterborne Disease Outbreaks Associated with Drinking Water — United States, 2015–2020.” MMWR. Surveillance Summaries 73, no. 1 (March 14, 2024): 1–23. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.ss7301a1.
Mac Kenzie, William R., Neil J. Hoxie, Mary E. Proctor, M. Stephen Gradus, Kathleen A. Blair, Dan E. Peterson, James J. Kazmierczak, et al. “A Massive Outbreak in Milwaukee of Cryptosporidium Infection Transmitted through the Public Water Supply.” New England Journal of Medicine 331, no. 3 (July 21, 1994): 161–67. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJM199407213310304.
McDonald, Yolanda J., and Nicole E. Jones. “Drinking Water Violations and Environmental Justice in the United States, 2011–2015.” American Journal of Public Health 108, no. 10 (August 23, 2018): 1401–7. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2018.304621.
America’s Health Rankings builds on the work of the United Health Foundation to draw attention to public health and better understand the health of various populations. Our platform provides relevant information that policymakers, public health officials, advocates and leaders can use to effect change in their communities.
We have developed detailed analyses on the health of key populations in the country, including women and children, seniors and those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, in addition to a deep dive into health disparities across the country.
