Florida's Drinking Water Ranked 2nd Worst in Nation: Study

The Sunshine State may be outlined with beautiful beaches, but the drinking water may not be as clean as you would like.

A new survey tested water systems across the United States, and ranked Florida as having the second worst drinking water in the nation, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council.

The study found that 80,834 Safe Drinking Water Act violations were reported in 2015 across the country, with violations falling in two categories: health-based violations and monitoring and reporting violations.

The SDWA requires the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to identify and regulate contaminants to ensure drinking water quality to prevent serious health impacts including cholera outbreaks, lead poisoning, and even cancer.

Some of the top health-based violations include: coliform bacteria, surface water and groundwater quality, and lead and copper.

When ranking violations by population served, Florida fell after Texas and before Pennsylvania. Here’s how the top five states lined up:

1. Texas (12,066,920 people served)

2. Florida (7,540,465 people served)

3. Pennsylvania (5,645,903 people served)

4. New Jersey (4,487,703 people served)

5. Georgia (3,846,734 people served)

Puerto Rico had the highest percentage of people served with violations in community water systems, with a stunning 99.5 percent.

Click here to read the full study. 

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