A new study gave Kentucky poor marks for the safety of its drinking water.
The Natural Resources Defense Council says the commonwealth has the tenth-highest number of offenses per capita
Violations ranged from high levels of arsenic and nitrates to failure to test or properly report contamination levels. The Courier Journal reported no other state in the nation had a larger percent of its population getting its water from utilities with at least one violation. The study was based on safe drinking water act violations, and the number of customers served by those utilities.
Indiana was twenty-second in total water quality offenses per capita, while Tennessee ranked twenty-third.
The Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet is responsible for enforcing drinking water standards in the commonwealth.
Cabinet spokesman John Mura said the study mischaracterized Kentucky’s drinking water compliance data, and said the state’s water was reliable and of high quality.
