Which City in the United States Has the Best Tap Water?

Despite a number of studies and contests across all states, no city can claim the honor of having the best tap water in the country.

Still, on the numerous lists of cities with the best tap water in America, the same names keep popping up. The subject of “best tap water” is subjective and differs from consumer to consumer.

The cities with the best tap water in the United States are Macon, Georgia; Memphis, Tennessee; Greenville, North Carolina; and the Metropolitan Water District in California. Additionally, some cities have been studied for specific chemicals and have been found to have the best tap water in America.

Those cities include Jackson, Mississippi; Mobile, Alabama; San Diego, California; and Tucson, Arizona.

Does Macon, Georgia, have the best tap water in the United States?

In one news report, the city of Macon, Georgia, was listed as having the “Best Tasting” drinking water in the United States. That drinking water is tap water, and the source of that tap water was from the 5.8 billion gallons of water found in Javors Lucas Lake.

Additionally, the water treatment facility in Macon, Georgia, is nationally known as being among the best in the country.

Javors Lucas Lake provides water to the entire Macon-Bibb County, and the water treatment plant in Macon processes over 60 million gallons of water and spans 3.2 thousand acres, in addition to the 581 acres of the lake itself.

Many have said that the water treatment facility itself is larger than some of Georgia’s largest cities.

The size of the plant is conducive to ensuring a significant decrease in industrial toxins released into the waters of this area.

In 2009, Macon won “Best of the Best” for best tasting water by the American Water Works Association and continues to win consistently in water quality awards when compared to other cities in the country.

How does the Metropolitan Water District rank for water quality in the United States?

Berkeley, California, has one of the best tap waters in the country as well. In one international tasting contest, the Metropolitan Water District in Southern California won first prize for best tasting water in the nation.

The contest was held at an international level, with the Metropolitan Water District winning in both 2008 and 2018.

In this contest, judges ranked the cities that entered on multiple levels. The traits of water judged for this contest were aftertaste, taste, odor, and overall feel in the mouth.

The Metropolitan Water District in California competed and won against international competitors including multiple provinces from Canada and an additional 15 countries.

Does Memphis, Tennessee, have good tap water?

Memphis, Tennessee, is known for having good tap water, both by the people of Memphis and the scientific community. Some have even called Memphis water the “sweetest” water to drink on the planet.

This is a reference to the taste of the water, and not necessarily the water quality.

Memphis prides itself on having multiple reservoirs of water below the surface of the Earth. For Memphis, water comes from sand aquifers that are layered in between clay and natural dirt.

It is said that the layers of sand filter most toxins out of the water, which results in the pure taste of water that Memphis enjoys.

When the water is drawn from wells in the Memphis area, it must undergo an aeration process in order to eliminate excess toxins or minerals such as iron.

This is followed up with a process of fluoridation and chlorine processing in order to make the water potable.

Does a well really make water the best to drink?

For Memphis, it works. If you talk to other regions or municipalities where well water is used, you will find a lot of anecdotal evidence that well water is fantastic water to use.

Memphis, Tennessee well water is an excellent example of how good well water can be.

Many businesses and even some Fortune 500 companies rely on Memphis well water to thrive. There are 11 Tennessee companies on the Fortune 500 list, and some of them use this infamous water for their product.

Additionally, the Tennessee Brewing Company has been relying on this water since 1885.

It is impossible to draw water from any source without finding some contaminants, but the Environmental Protection Agency along with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation has found incredibly low levels of copper, nitrate, lead, and fluoride in Memphis water.

Some reports have even indicated that Memphis water has no detectable trace of lead, a quality that not only puts Memphis on the map for water quality but also lends support for the quality of well water in America.

Is Greenville, North Carolina, a contender for quality water?

Greenville, North Carolina, is a city that has worked very hard at putting resources into quality water for its citizens. This city draws on water from the Blue Ridge Mountains and provides natural filtration.

Additionally, Greenville is known for its low pollution rates overall, which is going to increase the quality of its water.

The water system in Greenville is small, and this helps to keep Greenville water high-quality. The city itself is very small and is only 28.8 square miles in area.

The water used by its citizens does not have a long distance to go before it is collected, cleaned, and provided to citizens.

At the same time, the entire state of North Carolina began a program in 2018 to aggressively tackle water improvement in the state. This has helped put Greenville on track to becoming one of the best tap waters in the nation.

Are there other cities that rank well for water quality?

There are other cities that rank well for water quality, and those include San Antonio, Texas; Lincoln, Nebraska; and Tucson, Arizona. These cities rank very high on the list for water quality due to low amounts of haloacetic acid content.

This chemical is linked to cancer rates and indicates a need for water to be cleaned further when high levels are found.

Additionally, Jackson, Mississippi, ranks low when it comes to lead content, as do Mobile, Alabama; San Diego, California; and Tucson, Arizona. With lower levels of lead, the water quality is higher.

Although these cities do not rank as the best in the country, they do very well when it comes to their own unique water quality in America.

Where does your city rank?

Does your city rank anywhere near these cities when it comes to drinking water and its potability? How does your city get and treat its water?

Good quality water is determined by a number of factors, some of which are subjective.

Water from Macon, Georgia, and Memphis, Tennessee, is considered the best in the nation by some judges, but other judges may look at different factors. In the end, there is no one city that ranks as having the best water in the country, although many cities in the country strive to reach that goal.