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

ZipCheckup tracks EPA drinking-water compliance for 1,386 public water systems serving 687 ZIP codes in Michigan. The state record shows 4,218 EPA violations, 340 health-based.

City Water Quality Map: Michigan

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 Michigan

#	City	Grade	Violations	Systems	Population
1	Empire		149	1	1,484	Details →
2	Glen Arbor		149	1	634	Details →
3	Oxford		69	4	27,965	Details →
4	Marshall		60	2	14,954	Details →
5	Tekonsha		59	1	1,951	Details →
6	Negaunee		58	5	8,228	Details →
7	Carleton		57	5	10,199	Details →
8	Fenton		52	5	38,731	Details →
9	Newport		51	2	13,746	Details →
10	Lake City		51	1	7,540	Details →

Most Common Contaminants in Michigan

Contaminant	Category	Violations	ZIPs Affected	Health Risk
Consumer Confidence Rule	Reporting	587	303	No
Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM)	Disinfection Byproducts	434	253	Yes
Lead and Copper Rule	Treatment Technique	415	228	Yes
Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)	Disinfection Byproducts	324	222	Yes
Lead and Copper Rule Revisions	Treatment Technique	310	189	Yes
Public Notice Rule	Reporting	126	81	No
Arsenic	Inorganic	115	47	Yes
Chlorine	Disinfectant	103	80	No
Nitrate	Inorganic	66	59	Yes
1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene	Organic	48	40	No

Water Quality Overview

Michigan has 1,386 community water systems represented across 687 directly mapped ZIP records. The associated city records cover approximately 9,628,137 people. The available records contain 4,218 EPA violations, including 340 health-based violations.

Health-based violations account for 8% of all violations in Michigan. 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	340	8.1%
Monitoring/Reporting	3,878	91.9%
Total	4,218	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 Michigan 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 Michigan:

Health-based violations have decreased from 65 in 2021 to 9 in 2026, suggesting improving compliance across Michigan.

Most Common Contaminants

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

How to Check Your Water in Michigan

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 Michigan. 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. Michigan has 340 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 Michigan?

Records for 1,386 community water systems mapped to ZIPs in Michigan show 4,218 reported violations, including 340 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 Michigan?

Michigan has 4,218 EPA violations on record across 687 ZIP codes; 340 are classified as health-based violations. The remainder are monitoring or reporting violations.

Which city in Michigan has the worst water quality?

Empire, MI has the most recorded EPA violations (149) among the cities with mapped water systems in Michigan 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 Michigan has the best water quality?

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

What contaminants are found in Michigan drinking water?

EPA regulates over 90 drinking-water contaminants nationally; water systems in Michigan 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.