Methodology
How we scored the Best Water Quality Reports in America 2026. Everything here is public so anyone can re-derive a score from the same sources.
Version 2026.1 · Published June 13, 2026 · By TapWaterData Editorial
What we measure, and what we don't
This is a ranking of the report, the document a resident receives, scored on how well it communicates water quality. It is not a ranking of the water itself, and a high score is not a safety claim. We judge utilities on communication because that is the gap the EPA's 2027 Consumer Confidence Report rule is built to close: clearer, more accessible, electronically delivered reports.
We read each utility's most recent published report page by page and scored it on five pillars, weighted as below. Scores are absolute against the rubric, not graded on a curve.
The five pillars
Plain-language clarity
25% of scoreCan a non-expert actually read it?
Contaminant transparency
25% of scoreDo they show the numbers — including the bad news?
Information design
20% of scoreIs the data visual, or a wall of tables?
Digital accessibility & delivery
20% of scoreWeb-native, mobile, and lookup — or a buried PDF?
Timeliness & completeness
10% of scoreRecent data, full panel.
From sub-scores to a grade
Each pillar is scored 1–5. The weighted sum becomes a 0–100 report-clarity score, then a letter grade on fixed thresholds. Honorees (grade C and above) appear on the leaderboard with a tier. We publish honorees only — we do not print a public grade next to a utility that did not place, because the goal is to raise the floor, not to shame.
- A90–100
- B80–89
- C70–79
- D60–69
- Fbelow 60
- Platinum90+
- Gold80–89
- Silver70–79
Which utilities we reviewed
The 2026 cohort is 25 utilities, weighted toward larger systems and reports with a reputation for design, plus a set of smaller utilities chosen to test the range. We judged the most recent published report for each. This is a first edition; the cohort will expand.
- Philadelphia Water DepartmentPA
- Mount Pleasant WaterworksSC
- Tucson WaterAZ
- DC WaterDC
- Denver WaterCO
- Greenville WaterSC
- City of Grants PassOR
- San Francisco Public Utilities CommissionCA
- WSSC WaterMD
- East Bay Municipal Utility DistrictCA
- Austin WaterTX
- Medford WaterOR
- New York City DEPNY
- Akron Water SupplyOH
- City of Burlingame WaterCA
- City of RichmondTX
- Seattle Public UtilitiesWA
- LADWPCA
- San Jose WaterCA
- Fayetteville PWCNC
- Louisville WaterKY
- San Diego Public UtilitiesCA
- City of RedmondOR
- Massachusetts Water Resources AuthorityMA
- Honolulu Board of Water SupplyHI
Data sources
- Each utility's own most recent published water quality report (CCR).
- EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS).
- The EPA 2027 CCR Rule revisions and peer-reviewed CCR-accessibility research, which anchor the rubric.
Independence, corrections, and AI
Independence
No utility paid for placement, and displaying a badge is free and does not affect rank. TapWaterData earns affiliate revenue from filter recommendations elsewhere on the site. That revenue is firewalled from this ranking, which judges utilities and recommends no products.
Corrections
Scores are drawn from public documents. Before we promote a utility's recognition, we offer them a chance to review the underlying detail. If any utility believes a score is based on an error, we review the source and correct it, and we date every change.
Use of AI
Reports were read and scored with editorial judgment. AI-assisted tools helped organize notes; every published score and claim was verified by a person against the source report.
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