National Drinking Water Database
Kentucky
386 systems serving 4,908,697 people
This drinking water quality report shows results of tests conducted by water utilities in Kentucky, provided to the Environmental Working Group (EWG) by the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection. It is part of EWG's national database that includes 47,667 drinking water utilities and 20 million test results from 45 states and the District of Columbia. Water utilities nationwide detected more than 300 pollutants between 2004 and 2009. More than half of these chemicals are unregulated, legal in any amount. Despite this widespread contamination, the federal government invests few resources in protecting rivers, reservoirs, and groundwater from pollution in the first place. The information below summarizes drinking water quality for this state.
Chemicals |
Water Utilities |
Population Served |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Detected Chemicals | 63 |
386 |
4,804,170 |
Exceed health guidelines* | 35 |
319 |
4,430,201 |
Exceed Legal Limits* | 12 |
139 |
1,817,262 |
Unregulated chemicals detected | 3 |
1 |
34,650 |
| * Water utilities are noted as exceeding the legal limit if any test is above the maximum contaminant level (MCL). Most MCLs are based on annual averages so exceeding the MCL for one test does not necessarily indicate that the system is out of compliance. | |||
35 Contaminants Exceeding Health Based Limits
Contaminants detected in Kentucky drinking water above health guidelines, according to an Environmental Working Group analysis of data obtained from state water authorities
| Contaminant | Population |
Number of Systems |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| At Any Level | Above Health Limits | At Any Level | Above Health Limits | |
| Lead (total) | 3,711,138 | 3,711,138 | 228 | 228 |
| Total haloacetic acids (HAAs) | 3,616,711 | 3,616,711 | 211 | 211 |
| Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) | 3,639,078 | 3,502,086 | 213 | 172 |
| Copper | 4,734,450 | 501,733 | 375 | 52 |
| Aluminum | 3,167,468 | 463,402 | 143 | 41 |
| Arsenic (total) | 451,359 | 451,359 | 12 | 12 |
| Atrazine | 348,769 | 314,119 | 24 | 23 |
| Radium-228 | 287,549 | 287,549 | 19 | 19 |
| Pentachlorophenol | 248,064 | 248,064 | 1 | 1 |
| Alpha particle activity (excl radon and uranium) | 190,995 | 190,995 | 17 | 17 |
Water Utilities in Kentucky Reporting Chemicals Exceeding Health Guidelines
Water utilities in Kentucky reporting chemicals exceeding health guidelines, according to an Environmental Working Group analysis of data obtained from state water authorities, include:
| System | Population |
Chemicals tested |
Chemicals found |
Chemicals exceeding health guidelines |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bardstown Municipal Water Dept | 34,650 | 77 | 32 | 13 |
| Grayson County Water District | 18,910 | 79 | 17 | 10 |
| Liberty Water Works | 3,274 | 79 | 15 | 10 |
| Franklin Water Works | 13,510 | 81 | 14 | 7 |
| Morganfield Water Works | 6,105 | 73 | 10 | 6 |
| Shelbyville Water & Sewer Commission | 26,110 | 76 | 13 | 6 |
| Mountain Water Dist #1 Marrow Bone | 22,325 | 74 | 16 | 6 |
| Oldham County Water District | 24,186 | 73 | 9 | 6 |
| West Liberty Water Company | 2,950 | 73 | 9 | 6 |
| Cave Run Regional WT Comm | 25 | 74 | 11 | 6 |
| City of Hindman | 2,350 | 75 | 8 | 6 |
| Lancaster Water Works | 5,940 | 76 | 11 | 6 |
| Owensboro Municipal Utilities | 54,104 | 79 | 11 | 6 |
| Versailles Water System | 18,315 | 76 | 11 | 5 |
| Webster Co Water District | 4,386 | 75 | 10 | 5 |
| Logan-Todd Regional Water Commission | 25 | 79 | 12 | 5 |
| Campbellsville Municipal Water | 28,545 | 77 | 11 | 5 |
| Ohio County Water District | 18,497 | 71 | 9 | 5 |
| Brandenburg Water Works | 4,254 | 73 | 9 | 5 |
| Hodgenville Water Works | 5,501 | 73 | 12 | 5 |
Sources of Kentucky Drinking Water Contaminants
The contaminants identified in Kentucky drinking water come from a wide variety of sources, including agriculture, industry, water treatment plants, and polluted storm runoff from urban areas.
Testing Summary for Kentucky
The federal government has set standards for some of the pollutants found in tap water supplies.
| Contaminants reported as tested by water suppliers in Kentucky | 85 | |
| Contaminants tested due to federal law: | 78 | |
| Contaminants tested in addition to those required by federal law: | 7 | |
Violation Summary for Kentucky
Data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency includes the following violations of federal standards in Kentucky since 2004
| Violation Type | Number of Violations |
|---|---|
| Failure to monitor regularly | 1,124 |
| Over maximum contaminant level, Average | 370 |
| Monitoring and Reporting Disinfection Byproduct Rule | 318 |
| Inadequate reporting of information to the public | 256 |
| Failure to report information to the public or state agency in the Consumer Confidence Report | 197 |
| Failure to monitor, Routine Minor (Coliform bacteria) | 196 |
| Treatment Technique Precursor Removal | 101 |
| Follow-up and Routine Tap Sampling | 96 |
| Failure to monitor, Routine Major (Coliform bacteria) | 93 |
| Public Notification Violation for National Primary Drinking Water Regulations | 88 |
| Maximum contaminant level, Monthly (Coliform bacteria) | 76 |
| Filter Turbidity Reporting | 43 |
| Failure to monitor, Repeat Major (Coliform bacteria) | 30 |
| Excess Turbidity at 0.3 NTU | 26 |
| Failure to monitor or report, Routine/Repeat (Indicators of microbial or virus contamination) | 25 |
| Failure to monitor, Repeat Minor (Coliform bacteria) | 13 |
| Failure to monitor or report, Routine/Repeat (Indicators of microbial or virus contamination) | 12 |
| Excess Turbidity at 1 NTU | 9 |
| Maximum contaminant level, Acute (Coliform bacteria) | 7 |
| Other Non-National Primary Drinking Water Regulations Potential Health Risks | 6 |
| Initial Tap Sampling for Lead and Copper | 3 |
| Over maximum contaminant level, Single Sample | 2 |
| Treatment Technique (Surface Water Treatment Rule) | 2 |