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Fluoride in U.S. Drinking Water

Health-based violation data for Fluoride from EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS). Covers all community water systems with violations on record.

Fluoride has been found in violation of EPA standards in 6,429 water systems across 48 states, with 24,416 total health-based violations recorded. The most affected states are New Mexico, Louisiana, Pennsylvania.

Total Violations
24,416
Water Systems Affected
6,429
States Affected
48

Fluoride is regulated under the EPA Safe Drinking Water Act, which sets enforceable Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) and associated treatment technique requirements for public water systems. The EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) tracks every recorded violation nationwide and links it back to the specific public water system (PWSID), violation type, and begin date.

Across the United States, SDWIS records show 24,416 health-based violations for Fluoride affecting 6,429 community water systems in 48 states. Violation counts cluster heaviest in New Mexico, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, with New Mexico alone accounting for 3,527 violations across 356 systems. EPA health-effect summaries describe the specific exposure concerns that drove the federal standard.

A health-based violation does not mean residents were necessarily harmed, it means the contaminant exceeded the federal MCL in a compliance sample, triggering notification and remediation requirements. States and utilities maintain primary enforcement responsibility. To check the status of a specific water system, request its most recent Consumer Confidence Report or consult the EPA's Drinking Water Watch portal for the corresponding state.

What are the health effects of this contaminant?

While fluoride at low levels strengthens teeth, excessive fluoride in drinking water can cause skeletal and dental fluorosis with long-term exposure.

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Consult your doctor for personalized health guidance U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Consult your doctor for personalized health guidance

Violations by State

States ranked by number of health-based violations for Fluoride.

# State Violations Systems Affected
1 New Mexico 3,527 356
2 Louisiana 2,661 397
3 Pennsylvania 1,777 439
4 Alaska 750 157
5 Idaho 610 136
6 Utah 566 187
7 Missouri 541 196
8 California 364 58
9 Arizona 353 110
10 West Virginia 292 63
11 Washington 266 43
12 Colorado 236 75
13 Mississippi 226 91
14 Kansas 190 58
15 Nevada 189 42
16 Wisconsin 183 88
17 Oregon 156 32
18 Northern Mariana Islands 148 11
19 New Hampshire 140 90
20 Wyoming 139 69
21 Montana 136 49
22 Indiana 134 33
23 New York 130 33
24 Texas 106 36
25 South Dakota 85 47
26 North Carolina 69 11
27 American Samoa 69 5
28 Maryland 68 11
29 Virginia 67 15
30 Ohio 66 30
31 Michigan 56 30
32 Georgia 55 19
33 Arkansas 52 7
34 Nebraska 51 12
35 New Jersey 50 15
36 Tennessee 38 6
37 Connecticut 34 21
38 Iowa 33 18
39 Massachusetts 27 15
40 Illinois 21 6
41 Florida 20 8
42 Minnesota 20 8
43 District of Columbia 13 1
44 Kentucky 4 3
45 Alabama 3 1
46 Oklahoma 3 1
47 North Dakota 2 1
48 Vermont 2 2

Most Affected Water Systems

Top 50 water systems by number of Fluoride health-based violations.

Water System State Violations
PITHOLE WATER ASSOCIATION PA 101
CAMINO REAL REGIONAL UTILITY AUTHORITY NM 96
Commonwealth Utilities Corp (Saipan) MP 66
REGINA MDWCA NM 64
CUBA WATER SYSTEM NM 62
MCKEE BRIDGE MOBILE HOME PARK CA 56
KOBUK WATER SYSTEM AK 54
CEDAR SPRINGS COMMUNITY WATER ID 52
BIA NORTH IDAHO ID 49
RIO DE ARENAS NM 49
GALLINA WATER SYSTEM NM 48
CAPULIN MDWCA NM 46
TORREON MDWCA NM 45
CASAS ADOBES MDWCA NM 44
Pala North CA 43
ROSA JOINT VENTURES WATER SYSTEM CO 42
Aoa ASG AS 41
JONESBORO WATER SYSTEM LA 41
CHIPPEWAY PARK WATER ASSOCIATION NM 41
PRAIRIE ROAD WATER DISTRICT LA 39
ECHO VALLEY MHP MD 39
JEMEZ SPRINGS DWUA NM 38
CORREO WATER ASSOCIATION NM 35
OJO FELIZ MDWCA NM 35
LORDSBURG WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM NM 34
SAN RAFAEL WATER & SANITATION DISTRICT NM 34
LOVING WATER SYSTEM NM 33
MAGDALENA VILLAGE OF NM 33
DONA ANA MDWCA NM 33
ASPEN RIDGE SUBD ID 32
RAMAH WATER & SANITATION DISTRICT NM 32
VILLAGE WATER SYSTEM LA 31
MOQUINO WATER SYSTEM NM 31
VILLAGE OF PALMETTO WATER SYSTEM LA 30
BIBO MUTUAL DOMESTIC WATER ASSOC NM 30
DESERT SUNRISE WATER USERS ASSOC NV 30
RBE WATER ASSOCIATION INC PA 30
HOSANNA HEIGHTS WATER AR 29
RED ROCK WATER LLC ID 29
BONITA WATER SYSTEM LA 29
TOP OF THE WORLD WATER ASSOCIATION CORP NM 29
Duckwater NV 28
LAKE PROVIDENCE WATER SYSTEM LA 28
RANCHOS DE TAOS MDWCA NM 28
ARTESIA MUNICIPAL WATER SYSTEM NM 28
ANGEL NEST APARTMENTS TX 28
SANTA CRUZ WATER ASSOCIATION NM 28
CSWA CHEHALEM SPRINGS OR 28
LAUREL WOODS MOBILE HOME PARK PA 27
TOWN OF FERRIDAY WATER SYSTEM LA 26

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Fluoride in my water?

Fluoride has been detected in violation of EPA health standards in 6,429 water systems across 48 states. To check your specific utility, look up your annual Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) - water systems are required to disclose all violations.

How many water systems have Fluoride violations?

EPA SDWIS records show 6,429 community water systems with health-based Fluoride violations, totaling 24,416 violations. These represent cases where the contaminant exceeded the EPA Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL).

Which states have the most Fluoride violations?

The states with the most Fluoride violations are: New Mexico (3,527 violations), Louisiana (2,661 violations), Pennsylvania (1,777 violations), Alaska (750 violations), Idaho (610 violations).

Explore More

Water Quality Home → All Contaminants → Browse by State →

About This Data

Violation data is from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS). Only health-based violations are shown, these include Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) and Treatment Technique (TT) violations. Monitoring and reporting violations are excluded. Data may not reflect the most current enforcement actions.

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, SDWIS Federal Reporting Services U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, SDWIS Federal Reporting Services

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

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Data sourced from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainEnviro Editorial