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Water systems in the United States
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Water systems deliver drinking water to 25 or more people regularly during the year. The vast majority of Americans receive drinking water from a community water system, a system that supplies water to the same population year-round. Water systems process drinking water from surface water (water pumped from lakes, rivers, and reservoirs) or groundwater (water pumped from wells drilled into underground aquifers).[1]
Types of water systems
Three common public water systems exist in the United States:[2]
- Community water systems deliver water to the same population year-round.
- Non-transient non-community water systems regularly supply water to at least 25 of the same people for six months per year, mostly in schools, factories, office buildings and hospitals. These facilities often have their own on-site water systems.
- Transient non-community water systems provide water for places such as gas stations or campgrounds where people do not remain for a long period of time. These systems are open for at least 60 days per year.
The table below summarizes the number of water systems in 2015 by system type.
| Public drinking water systems by type (2015) | |
|---|---|
| System type | Number of systems |
| Community water systems | 50,496 |
| Non-transient non-community water systems | 18,034 |
| Transient non-community water systems | 83,124 |
| United States total | 151,654† |
| † Note: Includes U.S. territories and American Indian tribal areas Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "National Drinking Water Activity Dashboard" | |
Water systems by state
There are over 149,000 public water systems in the United States. The table below shows the number of public water systems (systems that supply drinking water to at least 25 people) in each state in 2015.[3]
Wisconsin had the most water systems: 11,641. Hawaii had the fewest water systems: 134.
| Public drinking water systems by state (2015) | |
|---|---|
| State | Public water systems (2015) |
| Alabama | 588 |
| Alaska | 1,490 |
| Arizona | 1,532 |
| Arkansas | 1,064 |
| California | 7,758 |
| Colorado | 2,005 |
| Connecticut | 2,496 |
| Delaware | 501 |
| Florida | 5,524 |
| Georgia | 2,409 |
| Hawaii | 134 |
| Idaho | 1,962 |
| Illinois | 5,575 |
| Indiana | 4,164 |
| Iowa | 1,888 |
| Kansas | 1,001 |
| Kentucky | 445 |
| Louisiana | 1,386 |
| Maine | 1,923 |
| Maryland | 3,459 |
| Massachusetts | 1,760 |
| Michigan | 11,269 |
| Minnesota | 7,017 |
| Mississippi | 1,211 |
| Missouri | 2,761 |
| Montana | 2,169 |
| Nebraska | 1,333 |
| Nevada | 585 |
| New Hampshire | 2,475 |
| New Jersey | 3,772 |
| New Mexico | 1,106 |
| New York | 8,747 |
| North Carolina | 5,867 |
| North Dakota | 652 |
| Ohio | 4,723 |
| Oklahoma | 1,708 |
| Oregon | 2,546 |
| Pennsylvania | 8,925 |
| Rhode Island | 488 |
| South Carolina | 1,423 |
| South Dakota | 648 |
| Tennessee | 872 |
| Texas | 6,942 |
| Utah | 1,032 |
| Vermont | 1,408 |
| Virginia | 2,744 |
| Washington | 4,402 |
| West Virginia | 965 |
| Wisconsin | 11,641 |
| Wyoming | 799 |
| United States total† | 149,294 |
| † Note: 50 state total only Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "National Drinking Water Activity Dashboard" | |
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "Basic Information about Your Drinking Water," accessed March 29, 2016
- ↑ U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "Drinking Water Dashboard Help," accessed April 10, 2016
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
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