Overview
EWG's drinking water quality report for Kentucky shows results of tests conducted by the water utilities in Kentucky and provided to EWG by the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection.
Large utilities in Kentucky
Below are utilities in Kentucky serving over 10,000 people, listed alphabetically.
| Utility | Location | People Served |
|---|
Utilities that accumulated/accrued the most violation points as of July 2021 to June 2024 in Kentucky
The Environmental Protection Agency's Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO) database collects compliance and enforcement-related information for drinking water utilities nationwide. ECHO water quality violation scores take into account federal health-based water quality standards, as well as monitoring, reporting and other drinking water quality requirements. Points are accrued based on specific problems at the utility - violations of health-based drinking water standards receive more points than monitoring and reporting violations - and the length of time until the violations were corrected.
| Utility | Location | People Served | Violation Points |
|---|
Large utilities that accumulated/accrued the most violation points as of July 2021 to June 2024 in Kentucky
The Environmental Protection Agency's Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO) database collects compliance and enforcement-related information for drinking water utilities nationwide. ECHO water quality violation scores take into account federal health-based water quality standards, as well as monitoring, reporting and other drinking water quality requirements. Points are accrued based on specific problems at the utility - violations of health-based drinking water standards receive more points than monitoring and reporting violations - and the length of time until the violations were corrected.
| Utility | Location | People Served | Violation Points |
|---|
| Edmonson County Water District | Brownsville, KY | 29,872 | 20 |
| Mountain Water District #1 Marrow Bone | Pikeville, KY | 48,286 | 20 |
| Southern Water & Sewer District | Mcdowell, KY | 14,351 | 15 |
| Harrison County Water Assoc | Cynthiana, KY | 16,736 | 10 |
| Big Sandy Water District | Catlettsburg, KY | 13,044 | 5 |
| Versailles Water System | Versailles, KY | 17,822 | 5 |
| Grayson County Water District | Leitchfield, KY | 20,033 | 1 |
| Monticello Water & Sewer Commission | Monticello, KY | 21,000 | 1 |
Contaminants found in Kentucky above health guidelines
| Found above health guidelines | Found | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contaminant | # of Utilities | People Served | # of Utilities | People Served |
| Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) | 366 | 4,470,435 | 367 | 4,470,812 | ||
| Haloacetic acids (HAA5) | 355 | 4,392,447 | 358 | 4,401,748 | ||
| Haloacetic acids (HAA9) | 167 | 3,682,047 | 167 | 3,682,047 | ||
| Chromium (hexavalent) | 108 | 2,913,889 | 166 | 3,644,380 | ||
| Nitrate | 161 | 2,691,298 | 234 | 3,388,042 | ||
| Nitrate & nitrite | 45 | 1,592,611 | 54 | 1,757,452 | ||
| Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) | 39 | 1,390,212 | 41 | 1,691,887 | ||
| Radium, combined (-226 & -228) | 165 | 1,263,712 | 165 | 1,263,712 | ||
| Chlorite | 15 | 898,702 | 15 | 898,702 | ||
| Arsenic | 38 | 724,119 | 38 | 724,119 | ||
| Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) | 23 | 311,077 | 48 | 1,743,168 | ||
| Perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHXS) | 12 | 168,229 | 12 | 168,229 | ||
| Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) | 4 | 110,544 | 4 | 110,544 | ||
| Chlorate | 6 | 81,181 | 129 | 2,992,370 | ||
| 6:2 Fluorotelomer Sulfonic Acid (6:2 FTSA) | 7 | 80,017 | 10 | 387,207 | ||
| Atrazine | 10 | 64,316 | 47 | 1,446,216 | ||
| Uranium, combined (pCi/L) | 3 | 31,372 | 27 | 240,775 | ||
| Tetrachloroethylene (perchloroethylene) | 5 | 23,284 | 5 | 23,284 | ||
| Methoxychlor | 2 | 17,438 | 2 | 17,438 | ||
| Benzo[a]pyrene | 1 | 6,798 | 1 | 6,798 | ||
| 1,2-Dichloroethane | 1 | 463 | 1 | 463 | ||
| Cadmium | 1 | 273 | 1 | 273 | ||
| Manganese | 1 | 100 | 282 | 4,004,185 |
Contaminants found in Kentucky above legal limits
| Contaminant | # of Utilities | People Served |
|---|
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