Asbestos in drinking water
182 active public water systems in 20 states had a Asbestos violation in the past three years, and 2 have one that is still unresolved.
You are on Tapcensus, an independent guide to the EPA compliance records of every public water system in the United States. This page explains Asbestos and lists the water systems whose records include a related violation. It does not show measured levels.
Is Asbestos in the records for your water system?
Enter a ZIP code, town, or street address to see the water systems that serve your area, their status, and which rules and contaminants appear in their violations.
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What it is and where it comes from
Asbestos enters drinking water primarily from the deterioration of asbestos-cement (AC) pipes, which were widely used in US water distribution systems between the 1930s and 1980s. Some naturally occurring asbestos deposits can also contribute. Corrosive water (low pH, soft water) accelerates pipe degradation and fiber release.
Health effects
Long-term ingestion of elevated asbestos levels is associated with an increased risk of benign intestinal polyps (mesothelioma from ingestion remains uncertain in the scientific literature). Inhalation risk from drinking water is considered minimal. EPA classifies asbestos as a Group B1 probable human carcinogen based on inhalation data.
The standard and what a violation means
EPA limit: 7 million fibers per liter (MFL) — fibers longer than 10 micrometers.
Water systems with a Asbestos violation, by state
Active public water systems that reported at least one related violation to EPA in the past three years. Each state links to the list of its affected systems.
| State | Systems with violations, 3 yr | Share of active systems | Unresolved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 53 | 1% | 0 |
| Texas | 36 | 0% | 0 |
| Florida | 20 | 0% | 0 |
| Oklahoma | 15 | 1% | 1 |
| Oregon | 8 | 0% | 0 |
| New York | 7 | 0% | 0 |
| Pennsylvania | 7 | 0% | 0 |
| Minnesota | 6 | 0% | 0 |
| California | 5 | 0% | 0 |
| Wyoming | 5 | 1% | 0 |
| Connecticut | 4 | 0% | 0 |
| Montana | 4 | 0% | 0 |
| Idaho | 2 | 0% | 0 |
| North Dakota | 2 | 1% | 0 |
| Nevada | 2 | 0% | 0 |
| Wisconsin | 2 | 0% | 0 |
| Arizona | 1 | 0% | 0 |
| Georgia | 1 | 0% | 1 |
| Maine | 1 | 0% | 0 |
| Michigan | 1 | 0% | 0 |
Largest water systems with a Asbestos violation
The ten biggest systems, by people served, whose records include a related violation in the past three years.
| System | Serves | Status | Rules violated, 3 yr | Unresolved |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Chandler City of Chandler · Maricopa County |
247,328 | 4 | 0 | |
|
Enid Garfield County |
49,347 | 3 | 0 | |
|
Palm Springs, Village of Palm Springs · Palm Beach County |
32,467 | 4 | 1 | |
|
Bethany Oklahoma County |
20,307 | 4 | 0 | |
|
Tahlequah Pwa Cherokee County |
14,458 | 2 | 0 | |
|
Belcourt-Turtle Mtn Rural Water System County |
13,500 | 4 | 0 | |
|
Captain James a Lovell Fhcc Lake County |
12,100 | 6 | 2 | |
|
Moapa Valley Water District Moapa · Clark County |
8,500 | 2 | 0 | |
|
Noble Utilities Authority Cleveland County |
5,750 | 4 | 0 | |
|
Brazoria County MUD 22 Brazoria County |
5,310 | 1 | 0 |
About this data
A system is counted once if any of its violations in the past three years involved Asbestos, including monitoring and reporting lapses. Rules violated and status in the systems table are for the whole system, not Asbestos alone. Counts cover active systems in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Source: the U.S. EPA's Enforcement and Compliance History Online system (ECHO), which publishes the federal Safe Drinking Water Information System. EPA's terms and values are shown as published. The records are from EPA's data refresh of Oct 7, 2026; EPA refreshes this data quarterly, and states report to EPA with a lag of three to six months, so the newest violations may not appear yet.