Data: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), EPA ECHO

ZipCheckup tracks EPA drinking-water compliance for 39 public water systems serving 21 ZIP codes in Alaska. The state record shows 1,030 EPA violations, 17 health-based.

City Water Quality Map: Alaska

Each circle represents a city. Size indicates population, color indicates water quality grade. Tap a circle for details.

A B C D F Circle size = population

Cities with Most Violations in Alaska

#	City	Grade	Violations	Systems	Population
1	Eagle River		479	4	27,917	Details →
2	Chugiak		479	3	6,739	Details →
3	Anchorage		45	19	241,374	Details →
4	North Pole		20	4	22,281	Details →
5	Jber		5	3	12,476	Details →
6	Juneau		1	1	29,796	Details →
7	Douglas		1	1	2,163	Details →

Most Common Contaminants in Alaska

Contaminant	Category	Violations	ZIPs Affected	Health Risk
Consumer Confidence Rule	Reporting	42	12	No
Public Notice Rule	Reporting	37	3	No
Lead and Copper Rule	Treatment Technique	30	15	No
1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene	Organic	22	2	No
cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene	Organic	22	2	No
Xylenes, Total	Organic	22	2	No
Dichloromethane	Organic	22	2	No
o-Dichlorobenzene	Organic	22	2	No
p-Dichlorobenzene	Organic	22	2	No
Vinyl chloride	Organic	22	2	No

Water Quality Overview

Alaska has 39 community water systems represented across 21 directly mapped ZIP records. The associated city records cover approximately 402,863 people. The available records contain 1,030 EPA violations, including 17 health-based violations.

Health-based violations account for 2% of all violations in Alaska. These violations indicate contaminant levels that may pose direct risks to human health, as opposed to monitoring or reporting failures.

Violation Breakdown

Violation Type	Count	Percentage
Health-based	17	1.7%
Monitoring/Reporting	1,013	98.3%
Total	1,030	100%

Health-based violations are MCL, MRDL (disinfectant) and treatment-technique violations. Monitoring violations indicate failures to test or report - these do not necessarily mean unsafe water, but they mean the water was not properly verified.

Cities with Most Violations

The following cities in Alaska have the highest number of EPA violations:

Violation counts are cumulative across all water systems serving each city. Higher counts may reflect larger systems with more monitoring requirements, not necessarily worse water quality.

Violation Trend Over Time

Year-by-year EPA violations recorded across all water systems in Alaska:

Health-based violations have decreased from 4 in 2021 to 1 in 2025, suggesting improving compliance across Alaska.

Most Common Contaminants

The following contaminants have caused the most violations across Alaska water systems:

How to Check Your Water in Alaska

1. Enter your ZIP code on ZipCheckup for detailed water-system data including contaminant levels and violation history; the separate Home Safety Score is a multi-source index

2. Request your CCR - every water utility must provide an annual Consumer Confidence Report

3. Get a home test - certified kits ($20-$50) or professional lab tests ($150-$400)

4. Consider filtration - NSF-certified filters can address specific contaminants found in your area

EPA Enforcement

The EPA and state regulators have taken enforcement actions against water systems in Alaska. Enforcement actions range from compliance assistance to formal orders and penalties.

Data Sources

• Water quality: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS)
• Enforcement: EPA ECHO

Updated daily.

What are EPA violations?

Health-based violations are EPA violations of a Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL), a Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level (MRDL) or a required treatment technique - the enforceable standards designed to protect human health. Alaska has 17 such violations across its water systems. Not all violations cause illness; review each violation type and duration to understand possible health implications.

Understanding water quality grades

ZipCheckup grades water systems from A to F based on EPA violation history, contaminant levels, and system compliance. Grades summarize ZipCheckup's scoring inputs; review the underlying records for specific issues. Grades are calculated per ZIP code and aggregated at the city, county, and state level.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the tap water safe to drink in Alaska?

Records for 39 community water systems mapped to ZIPs in Alaska show 1,030 reported violations, including 17 health-based. Water quality varies by city and ZIP code - check your specific location for detailed results.

How many violations are on record for water systems serving Alaska?

Alaska has 1,030 EPA violations on record across 21 ZIP codes; 17 are classified as health-based violations. The remainder are monitoring or reporting violations.

Which city in Alaska has the worst water quality?

Eagle River, AK has the most recorded EPA violations (479) among the cities with mapped water systems in Alaska in our data. Check your water supplier's report and test your tap water for the most accurate picture of your local water quality.

Which city in Alaska has the best water quality?

Violation records vary by water system across Alaska. Check individual city reports for details.

What contaminants are found in Alaska drinking water?

EPA regulates over 90 drinking-water contaminants nationally; water systems in Alaska monitor those applicable to each system, which can include lead, copper, nitrate, disinfection byproducts, and bacteria. The most common violations vary by region - check your ZIP code for contaminant-specific data.